K ?! 

Library  of  MRS.  D.  F.  RANDOLPH, 
596  Howard  Place,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


No.. 


K 8 


DOWN    HOME 
WITH    JENNIE   ALLEN 


She  says  he's  got  lots  of  little  ways  his  father  had  at  his  age 
2  weeks  to-morrow 

Page  3 


DOWN  HOME 
WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

BY 

GRACE   DONWORTH 

Author  of"  The  Letters  of  Jennie  Allen  to  her  Friend 
Miss  Musgrove ' ' 

WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY 
FREDERIC    R.  GRUGER 


BOSTON 
SMALL,  MAYNARD  AND  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1910 
BY  SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 
Second  Impression 


THB  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.  S.  A. 


IN    MEMORY    OF 

MY  MOTHER 


2135207 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

She  says  he's  got  lots  of  little  ways  his  father  had  at 

his  age  —  2  weeks  to-morrow     ....     Frontispiece 

FACING  PACK 

"But,"  she  continued,  "I  told  him  long  as  he  was 
there  he  could  help  me  on  with  my  life-preserver 
for  the  night  " 14 

"  Off  on  the  road  "  is  subceptible  to  severel  interprer- 

tations 60 

"  I've  always  had  a  dream  of  a  lover  that  would  gneel 
at  my  feet  and  says,  '  Have  pitty  on  me,  Loretty 
Maria!'" 124 

There  stood  a  great  big  fat  woman  closely  shrowded 

in  a  thick  green  vail  that  said  "  sh  !  sh  !   sh  !  "     .      164 

She's  come  and  the  dearest  thing  of  all  we've  got  from 

Ed's  old  home  is  his  mother 206 


DOWN  HOME 
WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

CHICTOOSET,  MAINE,  May  15. 
WE  'VE  reached  the  Promised  Land. 

My  brother  Jim  and  all  his  fambly  and 
Mandy  my  poor  afflictuated  sister  that  takes 
fits  though  not  to  sech  an  excess  as  formally 
and  having  more  gleams  now  every  day  of  her 
life  so  she  can  be  trusted  to  wash  the  glasses 
and  Ed  and  me.  After  living  ten  years  in  the 
citty  where  we  was  very  plessantly  situated  and 
longing  all  the  time  to  come  back  for  a  vissit 
as  soon  as  we  could  lay  enough  money  to  the 
old  home  where  me  and  Jim  and  Mandy  lived 
with  Mother  —  here  we  are  at  last. 

And  here  I  —  jest  plain  Jennie  Allen  that 
was  —  here  I  have  become  Edwards  Spinney's 
wife. 

It  aint  but  a  half  a  month  since  I  Ve  been 
his  wife  and  it  wan't  sech  a  very  long  spell  ago 

I 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

that  I  didn't  even  know  the  world  held  a  man 
like  him.  But  it  don't  seem  now  as  if  there 
ever  was  a  time  when  he  wan't  in  my  heart. 
When  I  go  back  and  try  to  think  when  it  was 
he  first  began  to  steal  into  it  I  keep  agoing 
back  and  agoing  back  till  it  seems  to  reach  a 
time  when  I  didn't  know  him  at  all. 

Why  was  I  asetting  there  in  our  home  in 
Providence  year  in  and  year  out  happyer  than 
any  queen  that  jest  made  rappars  for  Clapp 
and  Farmer  and  helped  with  the  work  besides? 
Of  course  there  was  everything  to  make  me 
contented,  the  greatest  blessing  of  all  being  I 
could  fetch  my  work  home  and  be  with  Jim's 
wife  and  children  and  Mandy  (that  needed  me 
so)  all  the  time. 

I  had  all  the  joy  of  the  children's  pretty 
ways  and  their  first  words  and  everything. 
And  when  Jamesy,  the  one  nex  to  the  baby, 
was  took  away,  I  had  the  comfort  of  remem- 
bering I  had  n't  lost  one  hour  of  that  precious 
little  life  God  had  give  to  us.  How  my  heart 
aiks  for  mothers  and  aunts  that  have  to  go 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

away  to  their  day's  work  and  leave  all  them 
blessed  things  to  other  folks  to  enjoy!  Yes, 
I  had  them  all  but  in  addishen  besides  to  this 
there  was  a  little  bird  kep  asinging  all  the 
time  in  my  heart  that  there  did  n't  seem  to  be 
full  reason  for.  It  sung  and  sung  and  sung 
long  before  I  knew  what  song  it  was  asinging. 
I  know  now.  And  I  guess  there  's  lots  of 
things  that  the  heart  knows  before  they  enter 
the  mind.  How  could  I  dream  that  the  day 
Jim  come  home  and  said  he  'd  found  a  lodgar 
for  the  3rd.  floar  frunt  that  was  a  nice  good- 
hearted  lively  feller  as  ever  was,  he  said,  and 
in  the  insurance  buisiness  and  was  n't  partickler 
about  noise  (an  importunate  point  on  account 
of  our  little  boys  getting  beyond  themselves 
at  times)  but  jest  wanted  a  comferble  place 
to  lay  his  head  and  would  sweep  it  himself 
when  it  was  nessesserry  —  how  could  I  know 
that  then  and  there  there  was  opened  a  heaven 
on  earth  for  me? 

When  I  think  that  before  that  I  was  agoing 
round  like  one  scizzer,  as  you  might  say,  it 's 

3 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

hard   to    realize    that    I    felt    so    happy   and 
useful. 

I  aint  calling  every  person  that 's  single  a 
scizzer,  though.  Some  of  them  does  very  ex- 
cellent work  as  gnives  or  something  else  that 
don't  have  to  go  in  pairs  at  all.  But  I  think 
I  am  distinckly  a  scizzer. 

("  Shear  nonsence,"  says  Ed  who  is  alook- 
ing  over  my  shoulder,  but  he  aint  atelling 
me  to  scratch  any  of  it  out  —  I  take  notice  of 
that.) 

It 's  jest  beautifull  for  us  all  to  be  back  to- 
gether in  the  old  Chictooset  home.  Sis  (my 
brother  Jim  's  the  only  brother  I  have  got's 
little  girl)  says  it 's  like  the  Israelites  entering 
the  Promised  Land  and  all  her  father  needs 
to  be  almost  exactly  like  Aaron  when  he  per- 
sonally conducted  them  is  to  have  a  double 
inishel  to  his  name  —  like  Jjim.  I  aint  any 
doubt  that  the  Israelites  was  tickled  enough  for 
one  reason  and  another  to  get  into  Cana,  but 
when  you  consider  that  none  of  them  had  ever 
been  there  before  (like  us  older  folks  had  been 

4 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

born  and  raised  in  Chictooset  and  even  Sis  was 
born  here  and  had  some  little  recollection  of 
it)  and  when  you  consider  that  everything  was 
new  to  them  I  'd  like  to  put  it  to  any  one  how 
it  could  compair  with  us  acoming  back  after 
ten  years  to  our  old  home  where  we  lived  with 
Mother.  And  I  guess  the  answer  would  always 
be  in  the  neglitive. 

We  own  the  old  home  yet  and  the  fambly 
that  leaces  it  and  ockipies  it  summers  has  always 
said  we  could  have  it  anytime  to  make  a  vissit 
at  from  Octobar  first  to  June  first.  So  we  Ve 
all  been  planning  for  many  years  to  sometime 
spend  the  month  of  May  there  when  we  got 
the  means.  Now  don't  it  happen  jest  beauti- 
full  that  the  first  summer  we  Ve  got  the  means 
is  the  identickle  summer  that  fambly  is  atravel- 
ling  in  forren  parts  and  (sech  is  the  intenshen) 
not  to  come  back  till  first  of  July! 

Two  whole  months  for  us  all  in  the  old 
home,  and  one  of  them  months  June!  I  guess 
there  aint  one  of  us  yet  that 's  fully  sensed  it 's 
really  true. 

5 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Most  the  first  thing  we  saw  when  we  was 
agoing  round  looking  at  things  was  the  place 
where  Jim  had  gouged  out  places  with  his  knife 
when  he  was  a  little  feller  on  the  settin-room 
wall.  Praps  his  little  boys  wan't  tickled  to  see 
that! 

Then  there  was  the  old  milk-account  on  the 
inside  of  the  shed-door  where  Mother  used  to 
make  a  long  mark  for  every  quart  of  milk  she 
sold  and  a  short  one  for  a  pint,  and  the  place 
at  the  bottom  where  they  was  all  added  up. 
I  recolleck  Mother  wan't  very  spry  about  add- 
ing up  them  collums.  Poor  little  proud-sper- 
rited  Mother!  How  well  I  remember  how 
she  'd  say  to  Jim  when  he  'd  got  considdable 
along  in  his  arithmetic  and  he  'd  get  stuck  in  a 
sum  and  wanted  her  to  help  him  out,  "  You  Ve 
got  to  an  age  now,  James,  when  you  'd  ought 
to  depend  on  yourself.  Mother  's  helped  you 
all  she  could  in  the  past,  dear,  but  I  guess 
you  '11  feel  better  about  it  if  you  get  along 
without  her  now." 

I  never  suspicioned  then  but  I  see  it  now  that 
6 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

she  was  putting  up  a  little  bluff  because  she 
wan't  ekel  to  them  hard  sums  seeing  some  of 
them  got  to  be  reglar  brain-rackers  along  the 
last  of  the  book. 

Dear  loving  soul.  The  problem  she  was 
arressling  with  all  the  time  after  Father  died 
and  we  was  little  was  the  one  in  short  division 
when  she  was  atrying  to  divide  a  pityable  little 
sum  by  4  and  get  something  for  an  answer  that 
could  be  seen  by  the  naked  eye.  She  could  n't 
throw  no  light  on  A  and  B  going  into  business 
and  A  putting  in  1/15  of  the  capital  and  tak- 
ing out  7/8  of  the  proffits  and  what  did  B 
gain  by  the  transaction.  But  on  that  other 
problem  she  never  stopped  working  day  nor 
night. 

And  I  guess  that  even  on  Sunday  when  she 
was  asetting  with  us  so  calm  and  still  in  the 
pue  and  was  the  most  genteel-looking  person 
in  the  meeting-house  probbly  that  planning  and 
cackleating  was  still  agoing  on  under  the  neat 
crape  bunnet.  I  Ve  got  that  little  bunnet  yet 
and  if  anything  should  happen  to  it  there  aint 

7 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

anything  in  this  world  that  could  make  it  up 
to  me.  And  now  when  I  raise  the  crape  band 
I  see  how  little  there  was  to  spare  on  it  and 
if  that  or  the  plain  bow  had  been  one  dite 
narrerer  the  old  frame  beneath  would  have 
shown  bare.  There  's  lots  of  things  we  prize 
because  they  was  Mother's  but  this  bunnet  al- 
most is  Mother. 

I  remember  and  I  guess  Mandy  aint  likely 
to  forget  it  either  because  me  and  Jim  aint  ever 
spoke  a  harsh  word  to  her  partly  because  we 
respeck  her  afflictuation  even  if  Mother's  last 
words  to  us  was  n't  to  be  alwers  good  to 
Mandy,  something  that  happened  a  year  or  so 
ago.  One  day  in  Providence  I  got  home  from 
the  shop  with  a  new  bunch  of  rappars  to  make 
and  Mandy  says, 

"  Mrs.  Ezry  Sawyer  's  been  in.  She  's  ahelp- 
ing  get  up  an  entertainment  down  to  the  church 
for  the  Lone  and  Wearys  and  she  wants  a 
comickle  old-fashened  bunnet  for  one  of  the 
girls  to  rig  up  in.  She  said  she  'd  seen  sech 
a  one  in  your  beauro  drawer  once  when  it  was 

8 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

open  and  wanted  me  to  lend  it  to  her.     She 
said—" 

"  You  did  n't  let  her  have  it  I  "  I  cried.  "  O 
Mandy,  don't  tell  me  you  give  her  Mother's 
crape  bunnet!  I  shan't  ever  forgive  you  as 
long  as  you  live  if  you  done  that!  " 

I  guess  that 's  what  I  said  but  I  don't 
hardly  know  what  I  did  say. 

Mandy  turned  white  and  looked  as  if  she 
was  agoing  to  have  a  spell. 

"  No,  no !  "  she  says.  "  I  told  her  I  could  n't 
give  it  to  her.  I  told  her  she  must  ask  you." 

But  I  run  to  the  drawer  to  make  sure  it  was 
safe.  And  I  took  it  up  like  it  was  something 
living  and  loved  that  had  been  saved  from  sor- 
rer.  I  recolleck  how  I  laid  my  cheek  against  it. 

"  O  Mother,  Mother!  "  I  says.  "  I  wonder 
when  we  see  you  again  and  you  are  awearing 
your  golden  crown  if  you  can  ever  look  so 
precious  to  your  children  as  you  did  in  this  I  " 


CHICTOOSET,  May  16. 

ABOUT   the   spendidest    day    ever   was.      The 
mud  drying  up  in  spots. 

We  had  a  beautiful  time  atraveling  down 
here  on  the  Frederick  Morrison  which  is  called 
the  floating  pallis  by  the  shores  and  indenta- 
tions of  our  native  state.  It  has  got  lovely  red 
plushed  furnitur  and  lace  curtains  and  all  the 
lugsurys  of  the  season.  They  say  they  set  a 
beautiful  table,  too,  but  as  the  folks  was  eating 
and  it  was  covered  with  a  cloth  when  we  peaked 
into  the  dining-room  we  could  n't  say  as  to 
that.  We  had  talked  it  over  a  long  time  be- 
fore and  we  had  settled  down  that  we  had 
better  pay  one  $  extry  and  have  a  state  room 
seeing  we  had  so  many  bundles  of  vareous  dis- 
criptions,  including  the  baby's  bath  tub  which 
we  drawed  strings  to  see  who  would  sleep  in 
it,  and  much  to  Mandy's  intence  joy  the  long- 

10 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

est  one  was  drawed  by  her.  Her  and  Sis  had 
made  a  bargain  beforehand  if  one  of  them 
drawed  it  they  would  invite  each  other  to  oc- 
kupy  it  with  them  so  they  done  so  with  the 
addition  of  little  Gussy.  The  rest  of  us  slep 
in  the  lady's  and  gentlemen's  cabbin  which  was 
fixed  up  very  neat  and  Sumptuous,  with  ples- 
sant  people  around  that  was  as  easy  to  get  ac- 
quainted with  as  ever  I  see.  I  dont  know  when 
I  Ve  been  so  taken  with  any  stranger  as  what 
I  was  with  a  lady  that  was  awaiting  for  a  long 
time  for  her  turn  with  the  hair-brush  that  was 
in  the  cabbin  and  chained  underneath  the  look- 
ing-glass. It  seemed  as  if  her  chanst  would 
never  come  and  her  just  as  patient  and  nice 
though  sea  sick  to  a  marked  degree.  She  said 
her  liver  was  the  kind  that  was  very  easy  put 
out  and  yet  she  'd  give  it  up  twice  to  two  (2) 
other  ladys  —  I  mean  her  turn  —  jest  because 
they  made  out  they  was  worse  than  what  she 
was  and  the  importance  of  geting  up  on  deck 
as  prompt  as  possible.  Me  and  Mame  told  her 
all  about  our  trip  to  take  up  her  mind  and  what 

ii 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

it  was  mostly  for  and  she  thought  it  was  jest 
beautiful.  She  could  n't  talk  so  very  connected 
herself  on  account  of  having  so  many  personal 
interruptions  but  she  told  us  quite  a  lot  about 
herself  and  her  daughter  in  East  Boston  she 
had  been  avisiting  and  what  an  interesting  baby 
it  was  for  3  weeks  and  named  for  her  for  the 
middle  name  but  the  name  in  general  leading 
off  with  Gwendoline  on  account  of  it  being  a 
fancy  of  the  father's,  that  was  in  the  soap 
business  and  doing  well,  though  country  born 
and  raised.  Her  name  was  Mrs.  Elmiry  P. 
Ingalls  of  Deer  Isle  and  I  sent  her  a  fancy 
postel  card  as  soon  as  I  got  here.  She  give 
us  a  lot  of  cookys  that  she  knew  she  could  n't 
keep  down  for  the  children  and  Mame  gave 
her  one  of  our  lemons.  We  had  two  and  we 
could  halve  the  other  one  up  among  us. 

She  was  still  asetting  in  line  when  we  left 
her  and  went  up  to  the  state-room  with  that 
patient  and  peacefull  look  still  on  her  face  be- 
tween times. 

We  found  Mandy  and  Sis  and  Gussy  in  great 

T2 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

sperrits  and  all  dressed  and  waiting  for  us. 
We  had  left  our  vittles  in  their  care  and  it  was 
our  plan  to  take  out  our  camp-stools  and  eat 
them  on  the  deck.  While  we  we  were  aget- 
ting  things  together  Mandy  told  us  all  that 
hapened  the  night  before.  She  says,  "  The 
children  was  asleep  and  I  was  saying  my  prayers 
when  a  tall  plessant  faced  boy  come  in  and 
asked  me  what  I  wanted.  I  excused  myself 
from  my  prayers  and  told  him  I  had  every- 
thing I  wanted  but  I  thanked  him  kindly  jest 
the  same." 

Jim  says  Mandy  uselly  manages  to  have  that 
so  by  not  wanting  very  much.  It 's  true  that 
my  sister  is  very  plain  and  simple  in  her  neces- 
sitys  and  requirements,  we  have  all  took  notice 
of  that. 

"  But,"  she  continued,  "  I  told  him  long  as 
he  was  there  he  could  help  me  on  with  my  life- 
preserver  for  the  night  seeing  I  did  n't  know 
jest  how  it  went  and  he  done  so  jest  as  nice 
and  handy  as  could  be,  laughing  and  smiling 
all  the  time.  I  dont  know  when  I  've  seen  sech 

13 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

a  nice  cheerful  boy,  and  not  a  grouty  bone  in 
his  boddy  that  I  could  see.  I  want  Bub  to  get 
acquainted  with  him. 

Then  I  says,  "  The  children  is  used  to  wash- 
ing their  hands  and  faces  in  warm  water  and 
I  want  to  know  if  we  can't  have  a  little  from 
the  kitchen  in  the  morning  when  the  teakettle 
boils  if  so  be  it  is  convenient." 

"  Nothing  easier,"  he  says,  '  When  you  want 
it  jest  push  on  that  butten  (he  called  it  a  but- 
ten  —  that  little  gnob  set  into  the  wall  that 
I  'd  jest  been  examining  before  he  come  in,) 
'  jest  push  on  that  butten  and  you  '11  get  all 
the  hot  water  you  want.' 

"  Sakes  alive !  "  I  says,  '  What  a  contrivance 
that  is !  What  '11  they  be  agetting  up  next !  " 

But  this  morning  soon  as  light  when  I  held 
the  empty  pitcher  under  the  gnob  and  pressed 
onto  it  and  although  I  pushed  with  all  my 
might  there  want  a  drop  come.  I  suspitioned 
it  was  out  of  kilter  because  I  could  hear  a  loud 
buzzing  sound  inside  the  works.  While  I  was 
aholding  it  there  the  boy  come  arushing  in  and 


"  But,"  she  continued,  "I  told  him  long  as  he  was  there  he  could 
help  me  on  with  my  life-preserver  for  the  night." 

See  page  i  3 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

when  he  saw  me  he  hollers  out,  u  Leave  go  o' 
that !  leave  go  o'  that !  " 

"  It  ain't  come  yet,"  I  says,  speaking  very 
gentle,  seeing  I  knew  it  wan't  his  fault  and  not 
turning  my  head  round  very  much  for  fear  it 
might  spurt  out  sudden  after  all  and  me  get 
scalt.  "  There  ain't  a  drop  come  yet  though 
I  been  a  pushing  a  long  while,  I  guess  the 
works  is  out  of  kilter.  You  better  find  out 
and  see.  I  '11  hold  it  here  while  you  're  gone." 

With  that  he  laughed  and  grabed  the  pitcher 
and  brought  it  back  full  of  boiling  water  in  a 
whiffle  of  an  eye.  It  shows  how  much  them 
new  contraptions  amounts  to  and  foarcing 
you  to  go  back  to  the  old-fashioned  way  after 
all." 

By  this  time  we  'd  got  the  lunch  ready  and 
all  had  gone  out  on  the  deck.  My!  if  it 
did  n't  taste  good !  I  'm  atalking  about  the 
lunch.  There  was  a  nice  high-toned  gentleman 
with  a  sad  and  depressed  expression  of  coun- 
tenance asetting  near  and  when  Mame  cut  the 
pie  Jim  made  motions  for  her  to  offar  him  a 
IS 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

peice.  She  done  so  which  he  declined  but 
seemed  awful  pleased  and  his  face  lighting  up 
with  a  merry  smile  as  he  had  been  to  break- 
fast. He  looked  like  a  man  that  was  having 
trouble  but  was  atrying  with  all  his  power  to 
keep  it  down. 

You  can't  help  respecting  a  person  of  that 
discription.  We  was  drawed  into  conversation 
with  him  and  Mame  who  was  dretful  scairt 
of  being  sea-sick  asked  him  if  she  could  reason- 
ably expect  to  be  when  she  come  of  a  long  line 
of  sea-captens,  and  he  says  there  was  no  tell- 
ing about  sech  things  but  he  thought  in  a  case 
of  that  kind  herredity  would  n't  count  for  so 
much  as  environment. 

Then  Mame  asked  him  what  he  'd  tryed  him- 
self as  a  remmidy  when  he  'd  been  seazed  with 
it  and  he  said  a  good  doce  of  something  that 
sounded  like  ferra-terma  was  the  only  thing  he 
knew  of  and  Mandy  said  she  wished  we  'd 
brought  some  with  us  seeing  her  insides  was 
far  from  steady  and  salt-fish  and  lemon  seemed 
to  aggrefy  and  intensify  it. 

16 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Mr.  Riley  (that  was  his  name,  he  give  Jim 
his  card  and  Jim  was  kind  of  mortifyed  he 
did  n't  have  none  to  give  him,  seeing  there  's 
always  so  many  little  things  acoming  along 
that  requires  money,  and  he  had  n't  ever  seen 
his  way  to  it,  but  Mame  said  she  'd  give  more 
for  the  "  James  S.  Allen  "  he  wrote  so  nice 
and  careful  on  a  piece  of  paper  and  handed 
to  him  than  a  large  peck-basket  of  the  fancy- 
est  cards)  Mr.  Riley  turned  his  head  away 
quick  at  Mandy's  remark  but  Mandy  did  n't 
suspition  he  was  alaughing.  Maybe  he  was  n't. 
Maybe  — 

Anyway  he  was  far  from  well  jest  recuperat- 
ing from  Diabetes  of  the  heart,  so  he  told  us, 
and  all  alone  in  the  world  and  having  no  one 
to  share  his  joys  with  him. 

Gussy  was  coaxing  his  mother  for  a  cent 
to  buy  some  sassyfrass  wafers,  because  he  had 
spent  his  nickel  before  he  left  home  but  Mame 
says,  "  No,  you  got  to  learn  you  can't  eat  your 
cake  and  have  it  too." 

"  As  to  that,"  says  Jim,  "  I  Ve  found  gen- 
17 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

erally  speaking  that  that 's  the  only  way  you  're 
sure  of  having  it." 

"  Except  on  shipboard,"  says  Mr.  Riley. 

We  was  kind  of  disappointed  that  we 
could  n't  see  the  water.  The  fog  was  so 
thick  you  could  n't  hardly  discern  the  other 
end  of  the  steamboat.  We  felt  rather  bad 
not  to  see  the  familiar  islands  and  other 
things  mostly  on  account  of  the  boys  as  Jim 
wanted  to  point  them  out  as  objecks  of 
interest. 

But  we  made  believe  we  was  in  space  flying 
from  one  plannet  to  another  and  the  noises  we 
heard  but  could  n't  see  from  the  schooners  and 
beweys  was  other  heavenly  bodies  asignalling 
to  us  as  we  flew  by. 

But  all  to  once  —  and  we  can't  any  of  us 
ever  forget  it  —  all  to  once  the  fog  lifted,  and 
everything  was  so  clear  and  bright  and  beau- 
tiful that  we  felt  like  shouting  a  sarm  of  joy. 
O  anybody  aint  ever  seen  anything  so  lovely 
as  the  coast  of  Maine. 

Jim  was  aholding  Gussy  on  his  knee  when 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  mist  clared  and  the  little  feller  looked  up 
quick  into  his  father's  face  and  says, 

"  O  Father!  Is  Heaven  agoing  to  be  pret- 
tier than  Maine?  "  and  Jim  says,  them  honest 
eyes  of  his  full  of  waking-up  memories,  "  I 
don't  know,  but  it 's  got  to  try  awful  hard  to 
be  —  ain't  it,  Son?" 

Later. 

What  struck  as  very  foarcible  and  seemed 
to  bring  its  lesson  with  it  was  this  splendid 
great  steamer  with  all  its  fraight,  human  and 
inhuman,  asailing  so  magestic  acrost  the  sea 
and  when  you  looked  behind  not  a  sign  left 
of  her  where  she  passed  throgh,  but  the  water 
smooth  and  glassy  as  if  there  had'nt  a  thing 
happened  to  it.  Mame  said  serten  pollitishens 
up  our  way  reminded  her  of  it  that  made  a 
terrable  chowing  and  blowing  and  a  tooting 
yet  would  leave  no  marks  behind. 

"  Excep  the  wake,"  says  Mr.  Riley. 


May  17. 

THIS  plan  about  writing  everything  down  in  a 
diary  I  got  from  Miss  Musgrove.  When  we 
was  leaving  Providence  she  says, 

"  Jennie,  you  probbly  wont  have  no  more 
time  to  write  them  nice  long  letters  you  have 
been  asending  me  ever  since  our  friendship 
begun  seeing  you  will  have  so  many  new  dutys 
of  vareous  discriptions  to  perform  and,"  with 
a  sigh,  "  I  'm  agoing  to  miss  them  more  than 
I  can  say." 

Ed  remarked  that  was  puting  it  mighty  strong 
for  any  woman. 

"  But,"  she  went  on,  "  why  don't  you,  seeing 
you  have  got  this  happy  fasillity  of  converting 
your  thoughts  to  paper,  why  dont  you  keep  a 
Diary?" 

"  It  would  be  very  hard  for  me  to  keep  it," 
I  says,  "  or  to  keep  any  book  of  the  kind  that 
has  got  blank  leaves  in  it,  the  young  ones  is 

20 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

so  apt  to  tear  them  out  for  their  sums  and 
spelling-lessons,  to  say  nothing  of  tickets  for 
pin-shows.  Me  and  Mame  has  had  more  than 
one  receipt  book  badly  mutillated  up  in  sech  a 
manner.  That  is  the  way  we  lost  our  rule 
for  eggless  cake  which  was  made  up  and  give 
to  us  by  a  freind  that  has  now  passed  on. 

Beyond  the  shades  of  earthly  joys, 
"     call  of  her  little  boys, 
reach  of  whatever  annoys, 
She  lays  asleeping. 

That  was  what  her  husband  wrote  and  put 
in  the  paper  the  time  she  died.  There  was 
3  verses  in  all  but  I  can't  only  seem  to  recall 
that  and  the  next  one  which  was  as  follers: 

No  more  her  voice  '11  be  heard  in  the  choir 
Afloating  from  gallery  up  to  the  spoir 
To  foller  her  soon  duth  her  husband  desoir 
As  he  sets  weeping. 

It  was  his  wish  to  have  them  calved  on  her 
tombstone  and  gave  orders  to  that  effeck.  But 

21 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Salomy,  his  second  wife,  (stone  cutters  as  well 
as  everybody  else  is  kind  of  slow  in  business 
mattars  in  Chictooset  and  he  'd  married  again 
before  Sol  Perkins  got  around  to  doing  the 
job)  Salomy  said  that  sech  things  was  no 
longer  considered  to  be  in  good  taiste  and  jest 
a  neat  little  stone  with  her  bare  name  on  it 
(she  wouldn't  even  include  Wife  Of  ect  be- 
cause she  said  it  made  her  shudder  to  see  her 
dear  husband's  name  mentioned  even  inciden- 
tally on  a  tomb-stone)  was  what  was  used  in 
the  highest  cercles,  and  so  them  verses  was  lost 
to  prosterrity. 

Maybe  it  aint  good  taiste  as  she  says,  to 
have  sech  things  on  monuments  but  the  way 
things  is  going  now  the  grave-yard  of  the  futur 
will  be  a  terrible  dull  and  uninteresting  place 
to  spend  an  afternoon  in.  There  wont  be  no 
more  Sunday  afternoons  of  whole  famblies  and 
freinds  spent  there  areading  the  pretty  verses 
and  the  children  spelling  out  them  beautiful 
passidges  from  the  Bible  (it  was  there  me  and 
Jim  and  Mandy  partly  learned  to  read)  and 

22 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

no  more  getting  down  on  your  gnees  and  gently 
scrouging  the  grass  away  from  the  bottom  of 
the  stone  to  see  what  the  last  line  of  the  verse 
was,  and  commiting  them  off  by  heart  and  being 
a  comfort  to  you  when  trouble  came  because 
so  many  was  words  of  comfort. 

The  new  ones  all  look  like  store-signs  — 
nothing  but  William  H.  Swathy  in  plain  big 
letters. 

Mother's  is  jest  beautiful.  It  has  got  erected 
in  loving  memory  to  Hannah  Allen  at  the  top 
and  then  "  Her  children  rise  up  and  call  her 
blessed.  Her  husband  also  and  he  praiseth 
her." 

I  told  Ed  I  was  going  to  try  to  live  so  I 
could  have  jest  the  same  on  mine  and  for  him 
to  have  it  so  if  it  could  be  stated  truthful  but 
he  says,  "  O  Jen,  stop !  I  can't  bear  it."  And 
then  he  says,  u  What  long,  long  wearisome 
years  it  took  your  poor  mother  to  calve  with 
her  life  them  2  lines.  I  want  my  wife  to  jest 
take  things  easy  and  not  spend  her  life  awrit- 
ing  eppytafts  for  herself  or  anybody  else.  And 

23 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

you  know,"  he  says,  "  as  far  as  her  children 
rising  up  and  calling  her  blessed  is  concerned, 
the  present  generation  would  say  it  could  be 
said  jest  as  well  setting  down." 

That 's  the  way  he  talked  but  his  face  grew 
white  and  his  hand  that  he  took  aholt  of  mine 
was  cold.  So  I  aint  ever  spoke  of  it  again. 
But  jest  the  same  I  shan't  be  so  very  much 
surprised  if  I  get  my  eppytaft  after  all. 

But  to  go  back  to  that  eggless  receipt. 
Mame  can  remember  parts  of  it  very  distinck 
and  I  can  remember  parts  but  the  parts  we 
remember  is  the  same  ones  and  that 's  where 
the  diffikilty  comes  in.  I  often  think  if  she 
could  recall  the  molasses  and  sody,  for  instance, 
and  me  the  flour  and  shortening  and  creamy 
tarter  all  might  yet  be  well.  As  it  is,  nothing 
but  the  creamy  tarter  and  the  molasses  clings 
to  either  of  us  memories  and  the  rest  is  gone 
forever. 

And  when  you  consider  that  all  Bub  wanted 
of  the  other  side  of  it  was  to  play  tit-tat-toe 
with  Farley  Tortrum  on,  it  dont  seem  right  at 

24 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

all.     It  seems  all  out  of  proportion,   as  you 
might  say. 

Every  fall  when  eggs  begin  to  scairce  up 
Mame  is  sure  to  say,  "  O  Jen,  how  differant 
it  would  be  if  we  had  n't  lost  that  receipt.  I 
feel  at  sea  compleatly  without  it."  It  would  n't 
make  so  much  odds  if  that  want  the  very  time 
of  year  we  needed  eggs  and  everything  nour- 
ishing we  can  get  for  the  children  to  eat.  They 
play  pretty  hard  through  the  summer  and  fall 
and  the  first  sudden  cold  spell  comes  they  are 
more  than  apt  to  pune  down  and  get  kind  of 
poorly  generally.  We  give  them  thoroghwort 
when  we  can  make  them  take  it.  We  Ve  tried 
vareous  ways  of  keeping  them.  We  have 
packed  them  in  salt  and  again  we  have  laid 
them  away  in  a  preperation  of  water-glass  but 
it  aint  satisfacterry.  They  're  sure  to  smell 
old  and  frowey  and  that  eggless  cake  seemed 
to  fill  a  long-felt  want,  no  one  ever  suspicion- 
ing  that  it  was  eggless  when  they  et  it.  I  don't 
know  as  we  '11  ever  quite  cease  regretting  that 
receipt. 

25 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Now  I  Ve  thought  of  a  beautiful  sequestrated 
place  up  garret  to  hide  this  diary  away,  but  I 
darsent  even  write  it  down  here  not  knowing 
whose  eye  might  come  acrost  it  and  then  run 
and  hunt  it  up.  I  aint  sure  but  what  I  '11  let 
Sis  read  some  parts  on  account  of  her  being 
so  old-fashioned  and  maybe  able  to  give  a  little 
help,  at  times,  but  Bub  and  Gussy,  her  two 
little  brothers  must  n't  even  see  it.  As  for 
baby  David  —  well,  he  's  very  hard  on  news- 
papers. I  shudder  to  think  of  the  effecks  of 
a  vallyable  work  like  a  diary  in  his  hands. 

Yes,  Miss  Musgrove  said  so  much  about  how 
nice  it  would  be  to  write  down  the  incidents 
and  happiness  of  every  day  as  it  went  along 
and  all  the  people  and  events  that  transpired 
that  I  made  up  my  mind  to  try  it.  And  oh! 
it  's  jest  beautiful.  Some  of  my  happyest  mo- 
ments is  when  I  'm  all  alone  and  a  thinking 
right  straight  down  on  the  page  same  as  I  be 
now. 

Sometimes  there  's  only  time  for  a  few  lines 
and  other  days  I  'm  so  rushed  with  work  and 

26 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

interrupshens    that    I    can't    get    at   it    at    all. 
But  I  write  when  I  can  and  it  averidges  up 
lovely. 

I  was  telling  Pamelia  Newcome,  that  has 
book-kept  down  to  Peter's  store  for  a  number 
of  years  all  about  it  the  evening  she  was  here 
and  about  having  to  be  kind  of  irreglear  in 
my  writing,  some  days  more,  others  less, 
some  days  nothing  at  all,  and  she  says,  "  Why 
that 's  no  way  to  do,"  she  says,  "  To  succede 
in  anything  you  under  take  you  Ve  got  to  be 
sistemattic.  Where  would  /  be  and  where 
would  Mr.  Peters's  bussiness  be  if  I  carried  on 
like  that  —  no  head  nor  tail  and  getting  my 
ballence  jest  whenever  it  was  most  convenient 
and  not  conflictuating  with  any  other  interrests 
I  hapened  to  have?  Where,  I  ask  you,  would 
we  all  be? 

"  And,"  she  went  on,  "  the  same  careful 
methods  that  reggleates  things  in  the  buisiness 
worls  had  ought  to  be  applyed  to  the  humblest 
home  ever  was." 

And  she  settled  back  with  an  air  of  great 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

sattisfaction  and  looked  at  me  to  see  if  there 
was  anything  I  could  say  back. 

There  was. 

"  Pamelia,"  I  says,  very  gentle  (she  spoke 
what  she  thought  was  the  truth,  not  knowing 
nothing  about  house-work,  her  mother  doing 
everything  to  home  and  only  them  2  to  do  for 
excep  sometimes  to  take  the  teacher  to  board 
when  that  teacher  was  a  man  —  Lucreshy  At- 
kins who  had  a  disapointment  in  her  youth 
fermly  refusing  to  take  in  a  man  thogh  ladys 
was  more  than  welcome  at  ^  the  price)  "  Pa- 
melia, you  can't  deal  jest  the  same  as  you  do 
with  Jiggers  when  you  're  adealing  with  things 
in  a  home.  Doing  the  work  there  aint  like 
adding  up  a  collem  of  figgers. 

"  Now  if  you  could  take,  say,  bread-dough 
and  needles  and  thread  and  court  plaster  and 
brooms  and  mops  and  lamp-chimneys  and  callers 
and  linnerment  and  spelling  lessons,  and  sooth- 
ing words  and  the  clam-man  and  bumps  on  little 
heads,  and  turnips  and  wood-boxes  and  rock- 
a-bys  and  clothes-lines  and  Now-I-lay-me's  and 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

patches  —  when  all  them  can  be  multiplied  by 
a  dish-cloth  or  a  flat-iron  and  give  something 
deffernit  and  satisfacterry  for  a  result  —  then, 
and  not  till  then,  can  book-keaping  and 
house-keaping  be  carried  on  on  the  same 
basiss. 

But  Pamelia  shook  her  head.  She  want  con- 
vinced. "  Even  them  things  could  be  sistem- 
mized,"  she  said. 

"  Pamelia,"  I  says,  "  supposing  when  you 
was  in  the  ack  of  adding  up  a  nice  long  straight 
collem  of  figgers  a  7  that  you  'd  added  should 
without  a  minnet's  warning  straighten  itself  out 
into  a  /  or  hump  itself  over  into  a  g  and  after 
you  'd  gone  back  and  added  it  according  to  its 
new  appearence  you  would  suddenly  catch  it 
hooping  round  into  a  o,  but  in  sech  an  unserten 
way  as  if  it  had  no  more  idea  of  staying  a 
o  than  you  did  and  presenting  strong  simptims 
of  changing  to  a  5  or  an  8  at  the  slightest 
provercation.  And  then,  Pamelia,  then,  sup- 
posing that  in  the  midst  of  all  this  them  vare- 
ous  figgers  would  take  a  sudden  notion  to  all 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

change  places  —  kind  of  dance  a  Virginny 
reel,  as  you  might  say,  up  and  down  the  col- 
lem  and  rampage  round  and  interweave  them- 
selves generally.  And  then  supposeing  this 
want  all.  Supposeing  one  of  the  figgers,  one 
of  the  littlest  —  say  the  i  or  the  2  —  should 
disappear  alltogether  and  you  could  n't  find 
hide  nor  hair  of  it  thogh  you  hunted  all  round 
that  little  coop  where  you  work,  and  that  very 
minnet  Mr.  Peters  should  put  his  head  in  the 
door  that  has  got  them  long  gray  whiskers  on 
it  and  say  he  wanted  your  ballence  right  off 
that  very  minnet.  Then,  Pamelia,  and  only 
then  would  you  realize  how  feable  method 
could  be." 

Pamelia  put  her  hand  to  her  head,  "  Is  it 
as  bad  as  that?  "  she  asked. 

"  As  bad  as  that,  Pamelia?  "  I  says.  "  Bad? 
Why  it 's  splendidl  You  don't  understand  it 
at  all.  Supposeing,  Pamelia,  you  loved  every 
identicle  one  of  them  figgers.  So  much  so  that 
when  they  rampaged  you  wanted  to  rampage 
with  them.  Yes,  loving  all,  the  human  the 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

most  but  the,  inhuman  some  what  on  account 
of  them  being  a  help  to  you  in  keeping  the 
others  comferble  and  happy.  And  supposeing 
one  of  the  figgers  came  to  you  on  a  cold 
frostey  morning  pinched  and  blue  and  after  it 
had  sold  you  your  quart  of  Clams  kind  of 
wanted  to  hang  round  your  nice  warm  kichen 
a  spell  and  tell  you  about  its  little  crippled  boy 
that  had  went  to  the  hospittle  in  Bangor  for 
an  operrashen  jest  as  you  was  about  to  set 
down  to  your  diary.  Would  n't  you  listen  to 
it,  Pamelia,  and  tell  it  you  hoped  the  little 
feller  'd  come  out  all  right  and  for  him  not 
to  worry  and  to  have  a  cup  of  nice  hot  coffee 
and  postpone  the  diary  for  a  more  faverable 
occashen?  Would  n't  you? 

And  supposeing  again  one  of  them  figgers 
jest  as  you  was  agetting  out  your  pen  and  ink 
should  come  arunning  in  and  throw  his  arms 
around  your  neck  (of  course  it  aint  the  clam- 
man  this  time)  and  clime  up  and  cuddle  down 
in  your  arms  with  a  brethless  "  Tell  me  a 
tory!  "  And  you  feal  its  confideing  little  body 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

warm  against  you  and  you  can  even  feal  its 
little  heart  abeating  awful  fast  when  it  comes 
to  the  wolf  part  and  I  guess  probbly  this  par- 
tickler  little  figger  wont  never  be  happyer  than 
when  at  last  Red  Riding  Hood  gets  free  and 
the  wicked  wolf  is  killed.  You  see  allthogh 
this  was  the  very  time  set  for  the  Diary  you  've 
compleatly  forgot  all  about  it. 

'  Then  still  again,  Pamelia,  supposeing  an- 
other of  the  figgers  that  you  had  every  reason 
to  suppose  was  perfeck  should  happen  to  have 
something  occur  right  where  the  mop  part  joins 
on  to  the  handle  —  and  that  right  in  the  midst 
of  you  washing  up  the  kichen  floor  and  having 
jest  exackly  time  enough  to  do  it  before  Diary- 
time  if  all  went  according  to  skedoole.  What 
are  you  agoing  to  do?  Are  you  agoing  to 
heave  that  figger  down  on  the  half-washed 
Flore  where  all  the  othar  figgers  will  trip  up 
over  it  and  go  to  writing  in  your  Diary  like 
all  possessed? 

No  you  aint,  unless  book-keeping  has  divided 
and   multiplyed    and   subtractifyed   your   very 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

heart  from  your  boosom.  And  I  guess  no 
woman's  heart  can  be  done  that  to. 

Pamelia  hove  a  long  sigh.  I  could  see  I  'd 
made  some  sort  of  an  impreshen  on  her  if 
ever  so  feable.  We  was  on  differant  sides  of 
a  high  fence,  as  you  might  say,  and  made  as 
she  was,  it  was  hard  work  her  glimpsing  the 
things  clear  on  our  side.  And  furthermore  than 
that,  so  Ed  declares,  fraimed  &  constitooted 
as  she  is,  there  can't  ever  be  made  a  gate  in 
it  that  '11  let  her  through. 

"  Well !  "  she  says  at  lenth.  "  If  that 's  an 
accuret  account  of  the  sitooashen  I  don't  see 
how  there  's  ever  going  to  be  any  Diary  kep 
at  all!" 

"  Don't  you  worry  about  that,  Pamelia," 
says  Mame,  "  Wait  till  you  see  the  Diary  at 
the  end  of  the  year.  You  '11  find  it  ballenced 
all  right,  wont  she,  Jen?  " 

Can't  see  to  write  no  more  now  on  account 
of  the   shades   of  night   falling   fast   and  not 
a  drop  of  kerrysene.      Mame  is  awaiting  for 
3  33 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  molasses  to  put  in  the  gingerbread  too. 
Bub  and  Gussy  went  to  the  post  office  store  a 
long  spell  ago  with  the  kerrysene  can  and  the 
molasses  jug  for  their  respectable  contents. 
Can't  tell  when  they  '11  be  back,  and  most 
probbly  listening  to  one  of  old  Cappen  Jefferd's 
yarns  that  don't  do  no  harm  as  I  know  of  excep 
taking  your  mind  off  from  your  dutys  as  in 
the  pressant  instants.  He  is  a  regglar  Arabian 
knight. 

But  here  they  finelly  come,  tugging  manfully 
the  jug  and  the  can,  while  Ed  sings  out  in 
joyous  tone,  "  Ah,  here  come  sweetness  and 
light!" 


CHICTOOSET,  May  19. 

A  BEAUTIFUL  Sabbath  Day.    Clear  and  bright 
and  warm. 

Mr.  Wadkins  preached  a  beautifull  sermon 
on  efforte.  Ed  says  it  was  practickible  a  ser- 
mon as  ever  he  heard. 

He  told  us  not  to  set  down  and  wait  for 
fortune  to  come  to  us.  He  says,  "  It 's  an 
awful  ancient  and  wore-out  idea  that  the  earth 
stands  still  and  waits  for  the  sun  to  come  along 
and  light  up  any  part  of  it.  Now  we  know 
that  it 's  the  sun  that  keeps  still  and  the  world 
has  to  wiggle  itself  round  every  day  to  get 
light  on  it  everywhere." 

And  he  said  the  best  test  of  how  we  done 
our  work  was  to  pursew  our  daily  avocations 
in  sech  manner  so  that  when  the  vale  was  lifted 
we  could  keep  on,  if  need  be,  in  the  nex  world 
with  whatever  we  was  adoing  in  this. 

35 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

I  thought  that  was  jest  beautiful.  But  when 
I  looked  at  Ed  he  was  almost  smiling. 

He  was  thinking  how  he  's  in  fire-insurance. 

When  we  came  out  of  the  church,  everybody 
gathered  round  us  and  shook  hands  and  said 
again  and  again  how  pleased  they  was  to  have 
us  here,  and  they  are  agoing  to  have  their 
bean  supper  this  month  instead  of  last  jest 
on  our  account.  We  aint  decided  yet  what 
we  '11  cook  for  it  but  we  're  atalking  it  over. 
We  're  kind  of  leaning  towards  an  apple  snow 
pie. 

I  wore  my  blue  suit  and  Ed  said — but  I 
guess  I  wont  write  that  down.  But  it 's  pretty 
as  it  can  be  and  trimmed  so  as  to  stimulate 
an  overskirt. 

Would  add  how  beautiful  it  looked  to  see 
all  the  people  once  more  agoing  to  church 
carrying  their  Bibles.  I  don't  feel  that  we  '11 
ever  get  fully  used  to  seeing  the  women 
a-entering  the  holy  temple  in  the  city  with 
their  pocket-books  instead  held  in  their  hands. 
Ed  says  the  differance  is  owing  to  the  deca- 

36 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

dence  of  the  pocket  among  fashenable  women 
—  and  nothing  deeper  than  that.  And  further- 
more than  that  he  thinks  that 's  what  makes 
women  sech  spendthrifts  (having  their  purses 
so  handy)  and  he  's  a-looking  forrard  to  the 
renny  songs  of  the  pocket  (that  keeps  the  purse 
below  the  surface)  to  bringing  mankind  back 
to  the  simple  life. 


37 


CHICTOOSET,  May  20. 

I  GUESS  perhaps  the  little  boys  is  having  the 
best  time  there  is.  The  first  couple  of  days 
we  did  n't  make  no  efforte  to  keep  them  boys 
within  bounds.  They  roamed  the  woods  and 
got  lost  and  got  found  again,  they  set  traps 
that  did  n't  catch  nothing  but  pieces  of  their 
close,  they  went  afishing  and  tumbled  in  (Ed 
says  it  was  probbly  with  the  idea  of  getting  the 
fish's  point  of  view  like  the  slum  workers)  and 
was  fished  out  and  whaled.  Gussy  fell  from 
the  top  of  the  old  ellum  and  broke  3  limbs. 
They  was  injered  in  a  fight  with  two  of  the 
village  boys  that  was  jest  able  to  go  out  the 
follering  Sunday  though  this  happened  on  Fri- 
day, till  at  last  Mame  told  Jim  if  they  wan't 
called  to  a  halt  that  there  would  n't  be  no  little 
boys  to  take  back  with  us  to  Providence.  So 
they  have  been  modertated  down  as  far  as 

38 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

they  can  be  modertated  down  in  a  place  of 
Chictooset's  resoarces  and  still  be  boys. 

Sis  is  jest  as  different  as  she  can  be.  After 
she  's  helped  wash  the  dinner  dishes  she  dresses 
up  in  her  nice  starched  gingem  and  quite  fre- 
quent goes  acalling  on  her  grandmother  Allen's 
old  friends,  ataking  with  her  a  boquet  of  lady's 
delights  and  Heading  hearts  planted  by  Mother 
that 's  still  agrowing  in  the  front  yard.  And 
aint  Jim  proud  when  they  all  say,  as  we  've 
alwers  said  ourselves,  "  She  's  her  grandmother 
Allen  right  over  again  right  out  and  out.  And 
poor  old  Mrs.  Plunkett  that 's  very  near  her 
end  and  that 's  aliving  out  on  the  County  Road 
and  aint  quite  all  there,  thought  she  was  Mother 
and  says,  "  Hannah,  I  Ve  thought  it  all  over 
and  I  'm  agoing  to  let  you  make  over  my  green 
popling  for  Lindy  seeing  she  's  so  set  on  it 
and  me  not  reely  needing  it  since  I  Ve  got  my 
brown," — and  the  cinnamon  rose-bush  on  her 
daughter  Lindy's  grave  taller  than  Sis  that  very 
minnet. 

Yes,  Sis  is  a  great  faveryte  with  the  old 
39 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

folks  here,  being  so  old-fashioned  and  depend- 
able though  they  all  say,  "  But  she  '11  never 
be  as  pretty  as  what  her  mother  was  at  her 
age  —  not  if  she  lives  to  be  as  old  as  Me- 
thusalem."  And  that  makes  Mame  tickled  on 
her  own  account  and  mad  on  Sis's. 

As  for  Jim,  great  big  loving  feller,  he  don't 
put  much  of  his  happyness  into  words  but 
Mame  says  she  believes  he  kissed  the  ground 
soon  as  he  come  when  no  one  was  looking. 
But  Ed  says  he  aint.  He  says  he  's  found  some- 
thing more  risponcive  and  acks  accordingly. 

And  Mandy,  why  Mandy  is  agetting  so 
much  good  from  it  it  seems  to  clare  her  head. 
She  remembers  about  things  here  a  good  deal 
better  than  could  reasonably  be  expected  of 
Mandy  and  even  behaving  with  great  dignity 
and  piety  at  our  wedding. 

"  Mandy,"  says  Mame  after  it  was  all  over, 
"  Mandy,  you  done  splendid !  How  did  you 
ever  think  to  keep  from  talking  at  the  most 
sollem  parts  same  as  we  feared  you  'd  do?  " 

"  I  filled  my  mouth  chock  full  of  water," 
40 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

says  Mandy,  greatly  pleased,  "  as  much  as  it 
could  hold.  Then  I  could  n't  talk." 

"  Oh!  "  cried  Mame.  "  You  hadn't  ought 
to  have  done  that.  What  if  you  'd  had  to 
cough  or  sneeze  1  " 

"  But  I  did  n't  have  to  cough  or  sneeze," 
answered  Mandy.  And  Ed  says  that 's  very 
good  loggic,  seeing  no  argyment  is  vallid 
against  a  fack. 

I  aint  agoing  to  try  to  write  down  about 
our  wedding.  How  can  I?  How  can  you 
ever  write  about  your  own  wedding? 

It  would  be  same  as  if  you  was  made  so 
happy  by  the  birds  that  was  aflying  and  asing- 
ing  around  you  that  wanted  to  keep  that  hap- 
piness for  your  friends  and  so  you  shot  them 
down  and  had  them  stuffed.  Your  shooting 
might  be  ever  so  skillfull  so  that  not  a  feather 
of  them  was  hurt  but  you  've  lost  the  joy  of 
their  song,  and  the  blue  of  the  sky  they  was 
aflying  up  into  and  the  soft  summer  air  that 
was  ablowing  all  around.  Them  's  the  things 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

we  can't  put  with  them  under  the  glass  globe 
in  our  parlor. 

But  memmery  aint  like  that.  Memmery 
would  have  kept  them  all  for  us. 

Yes,  words  is  nothing  but  stuffed  birds,  I 
guess,  when  it  comes  to  describing  your 
wedding-day. 

The  first  great  thought  that  swells  your  heart 
almost  to  busting  is  that  you  are  Ed  Spinney's 
wife,  or  whoever's  wife  you  are.  Then  instead 
of  that  drowning  all  your  other  blessings  it 
deapens  every  one. 

And  memmery  is  the  only  thing  that  will 
hold  them  all. 


42 


CHICTOOSET,  May  2ith. 

Sis,  that 's  jest  craizy  over  jography,  has  been 
showing  me  some  pregressive  maps  of  the 
U.  S.  that  she  's  been  amaking  and  they  have 
learned  me  more  histerry  than  I  Ve  ever 
known  before. 

It 's  wonderful  how  much  food  for  thought 
them  maps  sters  up  within  you,  the  gradooal 
shifting  of  the  little  lines  and  the  spreading 
out  of  the  pretty  pink  color,  like  the  flush  of 
success,  as  you  might  say,  till  it  covers  it  all 
over,  —  these  things  standing  for  ambition  and 
strife  and  cornquest  in  some  places  and  in 
others  jest  for  religion  or  quiet  toil. 

Jest  to  think  of  that  dite  of  a  change  in  the 
line  between  us  and  Mexico  that  Sis's  careful 
hand  can  make  so  easy.  She  says  it  took  two 
great  armies  and  thousands  of  deaths  to  draw 
that  little  line  first  and  to  fetch  the  pink  color 
into  that  tiny  sport  on  the  map.  It 's  awfull 

43 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

interesting  to  look  back  at  the  first  map  and 
see  how  much  was  unexplorated  terratory  or 
forren  possessions  and  how  little  by  little  it 
all  come  to  be  ours  and  the  places  that  was 
wilderness  become  known  and  prosperous  and 
how  a  little  to  a  time  man  was  led  to  where 
there  was  great  traysure  hid  up  in  the  earth, 
and  it  busted  out  into  great  and  wealthy  cities 
on  the  surfiss,  like  corn  apopping. 

It  makes  me  think  our  hearts  are  maps  and 
they  are  progressive,  too.  It 's  hard  to  realize 
that  the  big  place  representing  Ed  on  my  heart's 
map  was,  not  so  very  long  ago,  all  unknown 
and  unexplorated  territory.  As  changes  comes 
into  our  lives  old  boundery  lines  change  and 
regions  is  divided  up  into  smaller  parts. 

When  I  said  something  like  this  to  Sis  (an 
old-fashioned  child  as  ever  was)  she  was  awfull 
tickled  over  it  and  what  is  she  doing  this  min- 
net  but  making  progressive  maps  of  Jennie 
Allen's  heart.  The  first  one  when  I  was  a  baby 
and  got  nothing  on  it  but  jest  MOTHER. 
The  next  has  got  places  marked  off  on  it  for 

44 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Jim    and    Mandy.      The   third   has    got   in   it 
Mame  and  Sis  and  her  four  little  brothers. 

Jamsey,  the  dearest  of  them  all  God  took 
from  us  again  when  he  wan't  but  three  but 
we  Ve  left  his  place  on  the  map  and  Mother's 
is  there  too.  These  make  my  Holy  Land. 


Ed  has  jest  come  in  and  is  awatching  Sis's 
work.  He  wants  to  know  if  he  can't  be  my 
Texas  because  he  wants  the  biggest  place,  and 
so  he  shall.  "  I  'd  like  to  know  who  'd  be 
my  Texas,  Ed,"  I  says,  "  if  you  aint." 

Sis  says  she  aint  agoing  to  mark  off  Rhode 
Island  jest  yet  but  will  keep  that  and  a  few 
others  of  the  smallest  ones  in  reserve.  I 

45 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

thought  that  that  would  be  good  for  our 
friend  we  think  so  much  of,  Natalie  Bosham- 
bray,  seeing  she  is  so  little  but  Sis  ("  Napo- 
leonnic  Sis  "  Ed  calls  her)  says  Virginny  and 
West  Virginny  is  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jason 
Boshambray  because  Virginny  is  where  they 
live  and  they  are  so  ristocrattic. 

They  come  up  here,  they  and  their  little 
boy,  to  our  wedding  and  her  and  little  Adrian 
is  astaying  on  for  a  vissit. 

If  they  are  ristocrattic  they  dont  put  on  no 
airs.  Jason,  who  is  reely  the  Count  of  Bosh- 
ambray appears  proud  and  distant  to  .them  that 
don't  know  him  but  Natalie,  his  pretty  wife, 
is  as  sweet  and  impulsative  as  a  little  child. 

I  can't  ever  forget  how  on  our  wedding 
morning  she  come  to  me  and  says  her  bright 
face  all  love  and  eagerness,  "  Jennie,  me  and 
Jason  wants  to  do  something  you  '11  specially 
like  in  honor  of  the  day.  He  's  give  me  a 
purse  of  money  and  I  'm  agoing  to  use  it  for 
you  to  fulfill  some  heart's  desire.  Now  what 
shall  it  be?" 

46 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

And  like  a  real  fairy  out  of  one  of  Sis's 
books  with  her  pretty  pink  parrasol  for  a  wand 
(she  'd  jest  come  in  from  an  early  walk)  the 
little  figger  stood  in  the  door-way,  waiting  to 
hear  my  wish. 

"Can  I  reely  have  anything  I  want?"  I 
says. 

"  Anything  at  all,"  she  answers. 

"  Then,"  I  says,  "  please  don't  let  old  Capten 
Joe's  pipe  go  out  nex  month." 

She  opened  her  eyes  wide  at  this.  Then 
after  a  minnet, 

"  It  shan't  ever  go  out  as  long  as  he  lives," 
she  says,  laughing  gleefully  and  ahugging  me 
tight.  "  O  why  did  n't  you  tell  me  before  of 
this  heart's  desire  of  yours?" 

And  with  a  whirl  of  the  pink  parasol  and 
aswinging  her  little  gold  purse,  she  was  off  — 
I  know  where  it  was,  down  to  the  post-office 
store. 

When  little  Jamesy  was  took  away  and  I 
tryed  to  do  what  good  I  could  with  the  money 
I  'd  been  asaving  up  for  his  eddication,  one 
47 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  "ALLEN 

little  portion  of  it  went  to  light  Capten  Joe 
Silliker's  pipe,  that  had  gone  out  not  from 
conviction  but  necessity,  and  to  keep  it  agoing 
for  six  months.  The  time  is  almost  up  now 
and  I  'd  been  apraying  that  little  solace 
would  n't  be  took  away  from  him  in  his  old 
age. 

Now  I  know  he  '11  have  it  alwers,  and  a  lot 
of  other  lugsurys  she  has  promised  so  that  his 
last  days  will  be  days  of  comfort  and  faith 
in  the  Lord. 

0  ain't  Natalie  got  the  kindest  heart  that 
ever  breathed. 

1  Ve  jest  took  another  look  at  Sis's  maps. 
She  's  got   Mrs.   Ezry  Sawyer  in   for  one   of 
the  West  Indy  Islands. 

"  I  could  n't  give  her  a  place  with  the  rest 
of  us,  Aunt  Jennie,"  she  says,  "  I  knew  you 
like  her  same  as  you  do  everybody,  but  you  Ve 
got  to  have  some  forren  possessions." 

Sis  aint  very  fond  of  Mrs.  Sawyer  herself 
and  when  Ed  saw  her  out  in  the  Carrie  Bean 
Sea  all  by  herself  he  says, 

48 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  It 's  jest  like  womankind  to  interdooce  the 
personal  elliment  even  into  jography." 

But  he  need  n't  say  that.  It 's  jest  like  dear 
little  Sis  to  put  her  close  by.  Some  folks  in 
her  place  that 's  had  the  same  provercation 
would  have  found  reasons  why  she  'd  make 
a  very  excellent  Kamchatky. 


49 


CHICTOOSET,  May  22th. 

WE  got  a  letter  to-day  from  Mrs.  Ezry  Sawyer 
out  in  Seattle  and  it  was  signed  Mrs.  Abram 
Cooty  but  that  did  n't  supprize  us  as  we  had 
got  her  marrage  invertations  before.  They 
run  thus: 

Benjaman  John  Sawyer,  Esq 
Requests  the  playsure  of  your  co. 
AT  the  marrage  of  his  beloved  mother 

Mrs.  Ezry  Sawyer 
To  Abram  S.  Cooty  of  Seattle  and 

Cape  Noam 
Enter  at  the  side  door, 
ect. 

follered  3  days  later  by  an  excited  note  from 
Ben  saying  to  send  it  back  quick  as  we  could. 
She  'd  had  them  printed  unbeknown  to  him 
and  he  was  acalling  them  all  in  for  fear  that 
Cooty  would  get  afowl  of  'em.  He  said  he 

SO 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

was  scared  he  would  back  out  if  he  did,  "  And 
Mother,"  he  says,  "  has  worked  too  hard  to 
lose  him  now." 

Well,  Mame  has  sent  her  the  Chictooset 
Arrow  that  told  all  about  our  wedding  and  a 
part  if  it  was,  "  The  Countess  of  Boshambray 
(that  was  Natalie)  was  souperb  in  a  wonder- 
full  embroidered  gownd  of  white  and  yeller 
brocaid  that  was  jest  from  Paris." 

"  O  well,"  says  Mrs.  Sawyer  in  her  letter 
to-day.  "  I  expect  she  has  close  like  them 
often  enough  and  it  wan't  no  trouble  to  put 
one  on  when  she  went  to  Jennie's  wedding. 
Taint  at  all  likely  she  imported  it  apurpose 
for  it." 

"  Does  she  say  that?  "  cried  Natalie  spring- 
ing from  the  chair  where  she  'd  been  curled 
up  areading  and  letting  her  books  drop  to  the 
floor,  when  she  overheard  Mame  reading  that 
in  the  letter.  "  Does  she  say  that?  "  And  she 
scampered  up  the  stairs  and  run  down  again 
with  the  costly  gownd  in  her  arms  and  before 
anybody  could  realize  what  she  was  about, 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

she  'd  seazed  the  shears  and  half  tore  and  half 
cut  the  lovely  thing  into  strips. 

"  There !  "  she  says,  her  bright  eyes  ablaz- 
ing.  "  There  's  the  gownd  I  did  import  for 
Jennie's  wedding  and  I  aint  ever  going  to 
wear  it  anywhere  else.  You  can  tell  that 
woman  that!  " 

Then  she  laughed  and  said,  "  But  she  's  so 
awfully  funny  and  I  Ve  enjoyed  hearing  about 
her  so  much  I  had  n't  ought  to  be  angry  with 
her,"  and  she  curled  up  in  her  chair  again  and 
was  soon  lost  in  her  story. 

It  seemed  like  sech  an  awful  thing  she  'd 
done  that  we  was  all  shocked  and  Mame  ack- 
chelly  turned  pale  (it 's  something  she  's  sub- 
ject to)  but  Sis  (the  most  pratical  and  common- 
sensical  child  I  know)  says,  "  Can  I  take  the 
peices  Mrs.  Beaushambray  and  make  a  quilt 
for  you?  It  '11  make  a  lovely  quilt." 

"  Ye-es,"  came  absently  from  the  pretty  red 
lips  that  was  pouting  over  something  in  the 
story. 

We  have  jest  got  a  Seattle  paper  from  Mrs. 
52 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Ezry  Cooty  telling  about  the  wedding  festiv- 
ertys  and  the  house  where  they  are  agoing  to 
live.  It  says  "  It  is  in  the  subbubs  where  they 
can  overlook  a  great  expense  of  grounds  beau- 
tifully laid  out  with  part  airs  tastefully  inter- 
mingled with  statuerry  ect." 

Jim  says  he  guesses  it  is  the  first  expense 
she  's  ever  overlooked.  He  aint  liked  her  since 
the  time  Sis  overheard  her  say  to  Jason  when 
he  was  to  our  house  avisiting  that  we  wan't 
nothing  but  jest  ordinerry  folks  and  the  most 
she  come  to  see  us  so  much  for  was  jest  to 
ketch  the  broad  a,  "  which  you  know,"  she  says, 
"  flourishes  down  in  Maine  in  a  manner  that 
any  Bostonian  might  envy." 

"  She  '11  ketch  something  broader  than  the 
a  nex  time  she  comes,"  says  Jim  when  he  heard 
it  alooking  down  at  his  big  fist. 

"O  Father!"  says  Sis,  "would  you  strike 
a  lady?" 

"Who's  atalking  about  ladies?"  says  her 
father. 

She  had  spoke  to  me  about  that  same  thing 
53 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

before.  She  says,  "  You  folks  was  born  with 
the  broad  a  in  your  mouth  and  that 's  better 
than  a  silver  spoon  in  your  mouth.  You  can 
buy  your  spoon." 

But  I  always  tryed  to  be  patient  with  her 
when  she  was  atalking  sech  foolishness. 

I  might  as  well  write  down  here  what  she 
give  us  for  a  pressant.  She  was  alwers  fond 
of  anteeks  and  she  presented  one  she  had  on 
hand  —  an  old  pair  of  bellers.  She  had  bought 
a  pair  of  a  dealer  that  she  wanted  to  go  with 
her  old-fashioned  fire-place  but  they  told  her 
it  belonged  to  a  later  period  and  wan't  suffi- 
ciently back  to  date  for  the  purpose.  Ed  tried 
to  make  them  work  but  he  said  he  found  they 
was  inopperative  and  their  mission  would  have 
to  end  in  jest  presenting  a  venerable  appear- 
ance. Sis  has  wrote  a  poem  about  the  wed- 
ding and  in  it  it  says  (meaning  the  bellers) 

"  No  matter  how  Edward  tacked  &  pinned, 
They  never  got  back  their  second  wind." 

Captain  Joe  give  us  two  ostrich  eggs.  He 
come  in  and  laid  them  on  the  table  himself. 

54 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  It  aint  much  to  give  yer,  little  girl,"  he 
says,  "  but  they  're  different  from  the  common 
run  of  aigs  and  I  Ve  had  'em  most  60  years. 
I  wisht  they  was  sollid  gold  but  they  aint." 

"  Course  not!  "  says  Bub.  "A  bird  would 
be  a  goose  to  lay  a  golden  egg." 


55 


CHICTOOSET,  May  23. 

NATALIE  and  little  Adrian  went  away  to-day. 
They  're  agoing  to  Bangor  where  Jason  will 
meet  them  and  then  all  will  go  to  Bar  Harbor. 
They  almost  lost  the  boat  for  Natalie  was 
ahugging  and  kissing  everybody  and  saying  so 
many  parting  words  that  she  whistled  twice 
before  she  got  there.  Then  she  and  Adrian 
scampered  as  if  they  was  both  children  as  fast 
as  they  could  down  the  road  alooking  back 
and  laughing  all  the  way. 

How  we  are  going  to  miss  them! 


CHICTOOSET,  May  24. 

IT  was  late  this  afternoon  and  me  and  Ed  and 
the  boys  was  coming  home  from  a  long  walk 
in  the  woods  all  wrapped  in  our  winter  coats 
and  overcoats  because  it 's  one  of  the  hardest 
things  in  the  world  to  convince  a  Maine  May 
that  winter  is  over.  You  can  quoat  the  calen- 
dar all  you  want  to,  but  down  here  it  don't 
do  to  take  the  calendar  too  serious.  When  the 
calendar  says  May  the  merkery  says  must  n't 
(so  Jim  declares)  if  it 's  a  question  of  leaving 
off  your  overcoat  or  mittens.  As  for  the  Maine 
winters  they  're  tough  accordingly.  When 
Mame  said  she  was  surprised  to  see  how  heavy 
lined  Pamelia  Newcome's  face  was  Jim  said 
the  weather  required  it.  "  A  nice  heavily  lined 
face,"  he  says,  "  is  about  the  right  thing  for 
this  climate." 

We  found  a  few  May-flowers  —  dear  tendar 
baby  things  —  acuddling  down  under  the  leaves. 

57 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Everybody  'd  warned  us  not  to  take  up  any 
roots  with  them  on  account  of  the  new  law 
that 's  been  passed  that  attaches  a  fine  not  ex- 
ceading  $20  for  every  root  you  pull  up.  All 
the  boys  and  girls  knows  about  it  and  they  are 
scairt  the  root  will  come  up  before  they  know 
it  when  there  's  somebody  alooking. 

I  recolleck  when  that  bill  was  interdooced 
into  the  legislater.  Cess  Perkins  made  that 
great  speach  in  faver  of  it  that  was  printed 
in  all  the  Boston  and  New  York  news  papers 
and  brought  Chictooset  into  notice  that  had  n't 
ever  known  of  it  before.  Cess  could  always 
make  a  splendid  speach  though  he  want  no 
great  shakes  in  any  other  way  as  a  lawyer. 
That 's  the  way  his  nickname  got  tacked  on 
to  him.  Folks  call  him  "  Necessity  "  because 
he  knows  no  law.  It  was  said  to  be  the  most 
forensick  burst  of  eloquence  that  ever  thun- 
dered among  them  archives.  I  remember  beef 
extracks  of  it.  It  was  jest  after  they  had 
passed  a  law  about  lobsters. 

"  Why  is  it,"  he  says,  "  that  the  lobsters  of 
58 


DOWN   HOME   WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

our  state  is  so  carefully  and  tirelessly  guarded 
by  legislation  while  the  Mayflower  is  allowed 
to  roam  unprotected  over  its  hills?  Is  it  be- 
cause it  twines  any  the  less  around  our  heart 
strings,  or  is  it  less  in  danger  of  extinctuation? 
Which  one  of  them,  I  ask  you,  when  our  fore- 
fathers was  asailing  over  the  seas  aseaking 
humble  homes  in  the  New  World,  which  one 
of  them  was  painted  on  their  prough? 

"  Was  it  the  lobster?  I  no  nead  to  ask  this 
audiance  sech  a  foolish  and  idle  question  as 
that. 

"  O  lawmakers  of  the  State  of  Maine !  Men 
who  stand  for  sentiment  and  not  for  gread  — 
for  artistuousness  and  not  for  the  palate's 
craving,  if  need  be,  let  the  lobster  go,  but  pre- 
serve to  us  that  tender  Bullwark  of  our  past 
—  the  little  Mayflower." 

Well  we  was  walking  kind  of  slow  for  what- 
ever the  weather  was  it  jest  suited  us,  when 
one  of  the  boys  (they  'd  all  gone  faster  than 
us  and  got  home  first)  come  rushing  out  of 
the  house  and  calls  out,  "  O  hurry  up !  Hurry 

59 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

up !  Poly  Blittery  's  in  there  and  it 's  the  most 
fun  there  is.  Come  on  quick!  " 

So  we  hurry  upped  and  follered  him  in. 
There  we  found  Mame  awiping  the  tears  from 
her  eyes  and  Jim  arolling  round  the  floor  in  a 
parrotsism  of  laughter.  And  we  did  n't  won- 
der. Jest  to  see  him  was  enough,  I  mean 
Poly  Blittery.  I  'd  been  brought  up  alongside 
of  him  and  his  face  had  n't  changed  from  what 
it  was  then,  but  the  queer  part  of  it  was  that 
now  it  was  on  top  of  a  man's  body  and  about 
the  biggest  man  I  know  at  that  not  matching 
up  near  so  well  as  Sis's  doll's  head  on  Sam 
O'Thrace's  winged  victerry.  He  is  now  going 
on  33  and  we  had  n't  seen  him  since  he  was 
a  boy,  him  being  "off  on  the  road"  (as  he 
calls  it)  many  years  before  we  went  away. 
"  Off  on  the  road  "  is  subceptible  to  severel 
interpretations  and  we  don't  know  which  one 
to  choose,  but  it  aint  necessary  for  him  to  tell 
us  his  private  affairs,  as  I  can  see. 

Yes,  he  had  the  same  round  moon,  happy 
face  that  had  made  itself  at  the  school-teacher 

60 


"Off  on  the  road  "  is  subceptible  to  severel  interprertations. 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

so  often  and  got  covered  over  with  molasses 
when  he  helped  lick  out  the  empty  molasses 
hogshead  down  to  Ans  Hewlitt's  store,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  face  that  hated  soap  and  water 
as  it  did  sin  perhaps  a  trifle  more  if  the  truth 
was  known.  He  went  on  a  vissit  once  to  his 
aunt's  in  Saugus  Mass,  and  when  he  arrove 
there  he  was  a  sight  to  behold. 

"Mercy  sakes!"  says  his  aunt  agrabbing 
aholt  of  him  and  draging  him  into  the  house 
before  the  neighbors  could  see  him,  "  Mercy 
sakes !  Maine  calls  itself  the  cold  water  state 
but  it  appears  there  aint  enough  there  to  wash 
the  little  boy's  faces." 

"  That 's  why  there  aint,"  he  says,  "  they 
drink  it  all  up." 

Well,  the  chairs  was  all  too  tight  for  him, 
he  'd  tried  the  biggest  of  them  and  it  wan't 
comferble  and  when  he  got  up  it  come  with 
him  and  Jim  says  politely,  u  Allow  me  to  help 
you  off  with  your  chair." 

So  he  was  asetting  on  the  lounge  and  the 
young  ones  was  all  round  him  listening  to  his 
61 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

yarns  —  all  but  Sis,  and  she  set  a  little  ways 
off  hemming  one  of  our  new  dish  towels  she 
had  give  us  for  a  pressant  and  looking  at 
him  by  spells  like  he  was  some  newly  dug-up 
curiousity. 

He  'd  been  the  bad  boy  of  Chictooset  and 
it  was  his  proudest  boast  same  as  it  always  is 
to  any  man.  I  don't  see  why  it 's  an  unwritten 
law  that  it 's  a  disgrace  to  be  the  worst  boy 
in  school  while  it 's  an  honor  to  have  been  that 
boy  after  you  Ve  growed  up.  If  that  sounds 
funny  you  jest  turn  over  the  men  of  your  ac- 
quaintance in  your  mind  and  see  if  it  aint  so. 
There  's  enough  others  claiming  the  honor  for 
Chictooset  for  them  times.  Jim  is  one  of 
them  and  I  should  n't  wonder  if  even  Willie 
Jameson,  a  perfect  little  boy  saint  if  there 
ever  was  one  is  aparming  himself  off  for  it 
among  folks  that  dident  know  him  then.  But 
by  the  time  Poly  was  15  he  had  sowed  all  his 
wild  oats  and  had  settled  down  into  a  lazy 
harmless  critter  that  dont  do  much  of  any- 
thing but  wander  round  the  country  eating  and 

62 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

sleeping  where  he  gets  the  chanst.  He  calls 
it  canvassing  because  most  alwers  he  has  some 
little  contraption  with  him  that  he  has  got  up 
himself  but  he  says  he  dont  do  as  much  with 
them  as  he  might  on  account  of  hating  to 
pester  folks.  He  is  so  good-natered  and  full 
of  queer  yarns  that  folks  usuelly  are  glad  to 
see  him  at  the  farm-houses  where  things  is  so 
dull  and  lonesome. 

One  day  a  woman  where  he  was  having 
dinner  to  her  house  that  he  said  had  ought  to 
be  happy  seeing  she  was  rich  and  had  every- 
thing she  wanted,  set  out  to  lecture  him  and 
told  him  riches  dident  bring  happiness,  that 
they  brought  cares  and  risponcerbilyties  and 
the  poor  had  a  good  deal  better  time  than  the 
rich.  "  So  dont  you  go  to  envying  me,  young 
man,"  she  says,  "  because  all  the  fillosophers 
says  that  the  poor  is  the  happyest  seeing 
their  playsures  are  so  simple  and  free  from 
care." 

"  Lady,"  says  poor  Poly  striving  vainlessly 
to  draw  together  his  old  coat  so  to  cover  his 

63 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

ragged  shirt  (his  preddycessor  in  the  coat  had 
been  a  smaller  man  than  him)  "  lady,  let  me 
asure  you  that  the  joys  of  the  poor  has  been 
greatly  exagerated." 

One  year  he  spent  about  the  whole  winter 
in  a  sunny  winder  in  Dr.  Allison's  office  and 
called  it  studying  medisen  and  he  was  a  big 
help  too  in  various  ways  to  the  Dr.  holding 
people  when  they  was  having  their  teeth 
hawled  ect.  though  when  he  got  through  he 
didn't  know  (so  Jim  says)  your  thorax  from 
your  metacarpus,  but  being  forced  to  leave  on 
account  of  the  Dr.  neading  the  chair,  seeing 
Poly's  plessant  ways  had  broght  him  so  much 
more  cusstom. 

When  Jim  introduced  him  to  Ed  as  our  old 
friend,  Mr.  Napoleon  Blittery,  Ed  says,  "  Na- 
poleon, is  it?  I  don't  see  the  Bony  part." 

He  was  saying  when  we  went  in  that  he  was 
sorry  our  vissit  had  n't  been  the  summer  be- 
fore so  we  could  see  his  eddicated  eels  him 
and  his  brother  Jethro  had  took  to  the  fair. 
They  was  some  that  they  had  got  out  of  the 

64 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Chictooset  river  and  trained  with  untiring  laber 
and  skill  (so  he  said)  adding  that  the  job  pre- 
sented so  many  difficultys  at  times  they  was 
tempted  to  give  up  in  dispair. 

"  And  there  was  jest  one  things  that  kep 
us  from  doing  that." 

"And  what  was  it?"  we  asked. 

"  Why,  we  had  n't  been  to  work  on  the  job 
a  great  while  before  we  discovered  that  the 
eals  themselves  was  showing  an  interest  and 
putting  forth  an  effort  to  learn  sech  as  you 
would  scarcely  believe  an  eal  was  caperble  of." 

Even  Mame  looked  up  surprised.  "  How 
did  they  show  it?"  she  said. 

"In  a  dozen  ways!  We'd  been  trying  to 
learn  them  to  coil  up  a  certain  way  and  once 
when  we  come  upon  'em  unawares  I  '11  be 
blessed  if  they  wan't  trying  it  by  themselves 
—  having  a  kind  of  rehearsal,  as  you  might 
say,  probbly  with  the  intentions  of  giving  us 
a  little  surprise  later.  Course  some  would 
say  eah  was  always  acoiling  and  uncoiling  and 
acoiling  and  uncoiling  again  and  —  " 
s  6S 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Here  his  voice  got  kind  of  indistinck  and 
all  his  chins  was  asinking  down  on  his  chest 
when  the  boys  hollered  out, 

"  O  please  don't  go  to  sleep  now,  Mr.  Blit- 
tery.  Tell  us  what  them  eals  done." 

He  roused  himself  with  an  efforte.  "  Beats 
all  how  drowsed  up  I  get.  But  it 's  on  ac- 
count of  being  out  in  the  fresh  air  so  much, 
I  expeck.  I  Ve  took  up  with  this  fad  of 
sleeping  out  door,  you  see." 

"  O  Mr.  Blittery,  tell  us  quick  about  them 
eals !  "  cries  Gussy. 

"  Well  I  was  asaying  that  some  folks  would 
say  that  that  was  the  only  way  eals  have  to 
amuse  themselves  —  to  keep  acoiling  and  un- 
coiling and  I  admit  the  little  critters'  resoarces 
for  killing  time  is  sadly  limmited.  But  look 
here!  Ever  you  see  an  eal  wiggle  himself  up 
into  a  letter  of  the  alphabet  —  S  for  instance? 
Or  a  couple  of  eals  co-operating  so  to  form 
the  D?  Ever  see  that?" 

"  No,"  the  little  boys  admitted  brethless. 

"  Well,  that 's  what  we  saw  and  if  you 
66 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

don't  believe  it  you  can  ask  my  brother  Jeth 
when  you  see  him.  I  wish  he  was  here  this 
minnet  to  constantiate  what  I  've  said." 

"  O  there  aint  no  need  for  that,"  says 
Mame  politely.  "  We  would  n't  believe  it 
any  more  after  he  said  it  than  we  do  you." 

"  Well  now  that 's  kind,  uncommon  kind," 
he  says,  and  riz  right  up  (the  young  ones 
dropping  from  him  like  worms)  and  went 
over  and  grapsed  her  hand  and  shook  it. 
"  Old  friends,"  he  says,  "  that  's  always  known 
you  and  had  confidence  in  you  is  the  best 
friends  of  all.  It  don't  make  no  odds  how 
high  you've  climbed  the  sociable  ladder  (and 
you  would  think  he  was  addressing  us  from 
the  top  rung)  no  matter  how  high  you  sore 
and  all  the  lugsurys  and  refinements  that  go 
with  it,  you  can't  wrench  and  eradicate  from 
your  heart  them  tendar  (I  had  almost  said 
holy)  ties  of  former  days." 

"  O  Mother,  Mother,  keep  still !  "  cries 
Bub;  "you've  got  him  acrying  so  he  can't 
talk." 

67 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Sure  enough.  A  couple  of  big  tears  had 
oozed  out  of  his  eyes  and  was  meandering 
down  his  fat  and  rosy  cheeks.  He  made  no 
efforte  to  wipe  them  away  and  I  thought  it 
was  on  account  of  him  being  proud  of  pro- 
ducing sech  a  creditable  pair  of  tears.  But 
Sis  knew  it  was  because  he  did  n't  have  no 
handkerchief  and  went  up  quiet  and  slipped 
hers  into  his  hand. 

"  Now  that  young  one  knew  as  well  as  we 
did,"  says  Jim  after  he  was  gone,  "  that  them 
tears  did  n't  have  no  deeper  soarce  than  your 
lackrymal  gland  but  that  did  n't  make  no  odds 
about  her  helping  him  out.  Gracious!  If  her 
Grandmother  Allen  was  alive  we  would  n't 
hardly  know  which  was  which.  I  could  al- 
most see  poor  Mother  doing  that  very  thing, 
couldn't  you,  Jen?" 

Well,  when  Poly  got  off  that  speach  to 
Mame  all  afloat  in  tears  she  says  keeping  her 
eyes  down  on  her  sewing,  "  And  we  always 
say  the  worst  there  is  to  say  right  to  your 
face." 

68 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"You're  saying  it  to  a  big  audience  when 
you  do  that,"  says  Ed. 

"  Aint  you  ever  going  to  tell  us  about  the 
eals?"  says  one  of  the  boys. 

"  Yes,  yes,  to  get  back  to  the  eals  again. 
Where  was  I?" 

'  You  was  where  they  was  making  S's  and 
D's  of  themselves,"  says  Bub  who  did  n't  doubt 
a  single  word  of  the  story. 

"  O  yes.  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  when  we 
saw  what  them  poor  dumb  slippery  things  was 
adoing,  trying  to  improve  and  express  them- 
selves and  above  all  striving  to  please  us  we 
was  teched  to  the  heart.  And  was  we  going 
to  give  up  then?  Was  we,  I  say?  You  might 
as  well  ask  of  the  winds  and  the  waves.  We 
certainly  was  not.  We  wan't  doing  much  else 
at  that  time,  as  it  happened  and  we  devoted 
several  months  to  this  task.  At  the  end  of 
the  time  (though  I  say  it  that  shouldn't)  we 
was  pretty  proud  of  the  results  that  had  cul- 
minated. Our  little  pets  could  now  answer  10 
questions." 

69 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  How  'd  they  do  it?  "  asked  all  three  boys 
to  once. 

"  Well,  we  kep  'em  in  a  tub  that  was  very 
large  round  at  the  top  where  they  had  plenty 
of  room  to  spread  themselves.  We  named 
the  biggest  one  and  the  one  that  appeared  to 
be  the  head  of  the  family  Diogenes.  We  'd 
say  to  them,  'Who  do  you  like  best?'  and 
they  'd  throw  themselves  wholly  into  the  task 
of  answering.  It  would  be  like  this :  "  And 
he  took  an  old  blank  book  out  of  his  ragged 
pocket  (it  required  far  reaches  into  the  lining 
to  find  it)  and  with  a  stump  of  a  pencil  he 
drawed  a  picture  like  this: 


"  And  when  we  asked  what  they  was  the 
most  afraid  of  they  would  fix  themselves  like 
this: 


70 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"Then  to  the  other  10  questions  —  "  "I 
thought,"  says  Sis,  "  that  there  was  10 
altogether." 

"  Yes,  and  that  was  right.  I  had  a  couple 
in  mind  when  I  spoke  that  we  was  foarced 
to  give  up  on  account  of  them  taking  a  stub- 
born fit  and  refusing  to  carry  out  our  plans 
further.  12  was  the  number  we  planned  on 
but  when  we  planned  we  had  n't  reckoned  on 
this  obsternacy  in  the  eal's  character.  It  was 
a  theary  of  Jeth's  that  them  eals  had  mule 
blood  in  'em  somewheres.  There  wan't  no 
other  way,  he  said,  to  account  for  them  stop- 
ing  short  all  in  a  minute  and  refusing  to  go 
any  further.  I  know  one  thing.  There  'd 
been  a  pair  of  dead  mules  hove  into  the  river 
jest  about  where  we  got  them  and  if  there  's 
any  truth  in  the  saying  that  '  the  part  goes 
to  the  part,'  they  got  it  all  right.  The  only 
part  to  a  mule  worth  mentioning  is  his  durned 
contrariness." 

"  What  was  the  other  questions  they  did 
answer?"  he  was  asked. 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

'  Why,  to  8  of  the  interrogertorys  of  vare- 
ous  kinds  they  would  reply 


or 


"  Well,"  continnered  Poly,  "  when  we  'd 
took  the  hint  that  they  would  n't  answer  no 
more  questions  we  got  'em  to  take  the  parts 
of  tails  to  our  dogs." 

"O  Mr.  Blittery!  how  could  you?" 
"How  could  we?  You  ask  after  you've 
learned  of  greater  deeds  they'd  performed? 
Why,  that  tail  stunt  was  so  easy  in  compari- 
son that  we  'd  put  it  on  after  the  cattychism 
was  over  jest  as  a  kind  of  relaxation  —  knit- 
ting-work, as  you  might  say.  Jeth  and  me 
between  us  had  three  dogs  at  the  time  and  as 
it  happened  they  all  had  doctored  tails  (hav- 
ing fallen  from  a  high  estate  with  fashenable 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

people)  and  we  'd  farsen  them  eals  on  in  place 
of  them  and  we  learnt  them  to  wag  like 
real  tails  when  the  dogs  was  patted  on  the 
head  or  spoke  pleasantly  to  or  give  a  nice 
bone  to.  Then  they  would  hang  down 
and  droop  in  a  pathetic  manner  if  the  dogs 
was  addressed  in  harsh  words  or  give  a 
kick." 

"  !!!  " 

But  the  boys  said  it  with  their  eyes.  They 
would  n't  speak  now  and  interupt  the  story. 

"  And  the  dogs  on  their  side  was  tickled 
enough  to  have  something  to  wag  and  droop 
seeing  how  long  "it  had  been  since  they  'd  had 
that  privilege.  So  dog  and  eals  co-operating 
in  sech  a  satisfacterry  manner  no  wonder  our 
effortes  was  crowned  with  success." 

"  What  did  the  folks  at  the  fair  think  of 
em?" 

"What    did    they    think    of    'em?      What 
could  n't  anybody  help  thinking  of  them?    That 
they  was   probbly   the   best   eddicated   spessy- 
mens  in  the  fish  world!  " 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Why,"  says  Sis,  "  they  was  the  only  ones, 
wasn't  they?  " 

"  No,  not  quite  so  bad  as  that.  You  Ve 
heard  of  schools  of  fishes  often  enough, 
haven't  you?  I  hapened  to  come  upon  a 
school  of  mackerel  once  when  I  was  swim- 
ming round  Eastport  and  it  was  awful  inter- 
esting. I  shan't  ever  forget  the  look  the 
teacher  give  me  (she  was  a  sizable  shark  and 
the  look  was  n't  so  much  from  her  eyes  as 
from  her  mouth  —  you  know  sharks  have 
awfull  expressive  mouths)  when  she  saw  me. 
But  being  a  good  swimmer  I  knew  I  could 
get  away  from  her  if  she  happened  to  take 
a  fancy  to  me  so  I  stayed  a  spell.  She  was 
giving  them  a  little  talk  about  how  to  avoid 
fish-hooks.  It  seems  there  had  been  a  fish- 
ing party  near  there  and  the  mortality  —  or 
should  I  say  fishality  —  had  been  something 
terrable.  I  guess  there  wan't  one  there  by  the 
way  Miss  Finny  spoke  but  had  lost  some  friend 
or  relation  by  it.  A  collection  had  been  took 
up  for  the  sufferers." 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Had  it  been  done  off  fishally?  "  inquired 
Ed. 

"  Yes,  and  the  net  result  was  very  large," 
responded  Poly,  who  then  went  on  to  say  in 
answer  to  questions  from  the  children  that  for 
books  empty  clam  shells  was  used  —  "  that  is, 
empty  of  clams  but  not  as  to  some  pretty  good 
literatoor,  jedging  from  the  interested  expres- 
sions on  the  little  faces.  While  I  was  there," 
he  says,  "  a  messenger-fish  come  in  with  a  big 
lot  of  the  shells  from  a  shop.  Him  being  a 
C-O-D  carried  its  own  sinigafance  and  was 
a  deliket  way  of  announcing  what  was  expected 
of  the  fishinee.  He  'd  come  in  so  noiseless, 
(adragging  the  goods  along  behind  him  on  a 
string  of  sea-weed)  that  the  teacher  didn't 
see  him  till  a  little  mackerel  timidly  raised  his 
fin  and  told  her  he  was  there." 

"  How  did  you  know  —  "  began  Gussy,  but 

Poly  says,  "  Now  look  here,  Sonny,  aint  you 

been  told  it   aint  polite  to   interupt   and   ask 

foolish  questions  when  you  are  being  told  a 

75 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

story  to?  I  '11  have  to  stop  jest  where  I  be 
if  you  continner  to  pester  me." 

He  wan't  interupted  again. 

"  Taking  it  all  in  all,"  he  proceaded,  "  it 
was  as  interesting  a  school  call  as  I  ever  paid. 
You  can  see  that  I  was  hendered  from  getting 
a  reel  connected  sense  of  what  went  on  by 
having  to  go  up  to  the  surfiss  ruther  often  to 
breathe.  I  Ve  thought  more  than  once  of  it 
all  since  and  if  I  could  find  the  exact  location 
of  the  school  again,  I  'd  borrer  a  diving-suit 
sometime  and  make  a  more  extended  vissit. 
It 's  true  there  's  disadvantages  of  teaching  in 
the  water,"  he  says  thoughtfully  rubbing  the 
pencil  stub  round  in  his  hands,  "  but  (so  it 
seems  to  me,  anyway)  these  is  more  than  coun- 
terballanced  by  the  tremendous  advantage  of 
the  time  saved  in  not  sending  the  little  scholars 
home  to  have  their  faces  washed  and  the  time 
spent  in  the  fire-escaip  drill  every  day  can  be 
devoted  to  other,  if  not  higher,  things.  And 
of  course  like  all  young  school  things  they  was 

76 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

more  or  less  inclined  to  do  their  share  of 
cutting  capers;  but  the  sure  nolledge  that 
in  case  of  misbehavior  their  teacher  would 
promptly  eat  them  up  acted  as  a  strong  deter- 
rent influance." 

"  Did  she  eat  any  of  'em  up  while  you  was 
there?" 

"  No,  because  when  she  begun  to  put  on  a 
hungry  look  and  I  realized  it  was  near  lunch 
time  I  withdrew  after  apologizing  for  calling 
in  the  simple  costume  I  was  wearing.  But  as 
I  swum  away  I  looked  back  (though  it  came 
to  me  how  easy  it  would  be  to  turn  to  salt 
in  that  environment)  and  saw  that  school  was 
dismissed.  The  little  ones  was  aswimming  out 
of  the  cave  two  by  two  in  time  to  a  fish  that 
was  aflapping  his  tail  against  a  rock  and  it  was 
as  pretty  a  sight  almost  as  I  ever  see.  The 
whole  bussiness  was  a  complete  relevation  to 
me."  And  he  relapsed  into  silence  like  he  was 
living  the  episode  all  over  again  in  his  mind. 

Nudged  by  the  children,  Jim  asked  what 
become  of  the  eals. 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

'  Well,  they  was  counted  sech  a  marvell  at 
the  fair  and  nobody  ever  saw  the  equel  to 
them  that  we  was  offered  500  $  for  them. 

"And  didn't  you  take  it?  "  asked  Sis  look- 
ing pitying  at  his  poor  old  close. 

"  No,  I  did  n't,  and  I  '11  tell  you  why.  The 
man  that  offered  it  I  did  n't  like  the  looks  of. 
He  was  a  sport  and  used  his  money  awfull 
free  but  when  it  come  to  kindness  and  deal- 
ing with  a  poor  dum  thing  same  as  you  would 
be  done  by,  he  wan't  there.  And  strange  as 
it  may  seem  we  had  a  genuwine  affectation 
for  them  eals,  especielly  the  largest  one  in 
the  tub  that  we  'd  named  Diogenees.  I  can't 
tell  you  how  much  I  thought  of  him." 

"  A  good  eal,  I  dare  say,"  says  Ed. 

"  Yes,  and  they  'd  showed  plain  enough  that 
they  repriscopated.  So  we  said  no  to  the  man 
and  stuck  to  it.  He  tried  to  steal  'em  out  of 
the  tub  when  our  backs  was  turned  but  what 
did  Diogenees  do  but  wiggle  himself  over  to 
where  I  stood  and  give  the  alarm.  I  shan't 
forget  the  cold  tech  of  his  nose  as  it  reached 

78 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

my  hand.  If  the  critter  that  called  himself  a 
man  had  n't  been  a  good  deal  smaller  than 
me  I  'd  given  him  my  opinion  of  him  in  the 
sign  language. 

"  Well,  we  was  jest  agoing  to  ship  with 
Captain  Peaslee  on  a  vyage  to  Australia  and 
we  knew  we  could  n't  take  them  with  us  and 
we  'd  got  to  give  them  to  somebody.  Jest 
then  I  saw  a  nice  motherly-looking  woman  with 
a  lame  child  and  pleasing  address  and  thinks 
I  there  's  kindness  in  that  face  if  there  ever 
was  one.  The  little  girl  was  compleatly  fas- 
senated  by  our  little  pets  and  clung  aholt  of 
her  mother's  hand  and  beged  her  to  let  her 
stay  through  one  more  performance.  So  I 
put  them  through  their  stunt  again  jest  for 
her  benefit  and  after  a  nice  little  talk  with 
the  mother  it  ended  in  us  presenting  our  treas- 
ures to  her  for  that  little  child.  Bless  you! 
them  eals  knew  as  well  as  we  did  that  they 
was  being  left  in  kind  hands.  But  they  showed 
their  sorrer,  too,  in  the  only  way  they  had  to 
express  their  fealings.  They  'd  given  us  a 

79 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

good  many  surprises  from  first  to  last  but  I 
vum  if  we  was  anyways  prepared  for  what 
they  done  at  parting.  Well,  sir,  when  we 
bent  over  the  tub  to  take  a  last  look  at  them 
what  did  they  do  but  wiggle  themselves  into 
this: 


"  I  don't  know  as  I  Ve  ever  seen  anything 
more  remarkable.  Lord  only  knows  how  they 
found  out  how  to  do  it.  It 's  enough  to  know 
that  they  did  do  it  and  that  they  ackchelly 
shed  tears  besides.  So  much  so  that  the  water 
riz  an  inch  and  a  half  in  the  tub.  O  eals 
know  a  good  deal  more  than  you  think  they 
do." 

The  boys  asked  him  if  he  knew  where  they 
was  now,  and  he  said  he  did  n't  because  in 
the  confusion  of  parting  he  'd  omitted  to  take 
the  lady's  address,  but  having  a  dim  idea  it 
was  up  Mattawaumkeg  way. 

80 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  I  thoght  you  said  she  had  a  pleasing  ad- 
dress," put  in  Ed. 

"  I  Ve  got  a  feeling,  though,"  Poly  added, 
"  that  I  'm  agoing  to  see  them  eals  again  some 
time,  I  'd  feel  bad  enough  if  I  was  n't." 

Supper  was  ready  by  this  time  and  when 
he  got  up  to  go  to  the  table  we  took  notice 
he  walked  lame.  Jim  asked  him  what  the 
matter  was  and  he  said,  "  Nothing  much, 
only  being  a  little  sore.  I  went  into  Cess 
Billings  the  other  day  and  it  happened  to  be 
the  day  after  he  got  defeated  for  county 
treasurer.  I  told  him  I  'd  been  having  a  bad 
run  of  luck  and  asked  him  if  he  would  n't 
help  me  out.  And  he  did.  That 's  all." 

At  the  table  he  told  us  a  lot  about  his 
Australian  trip  and  about  them  getting  cast 
on  an  island  that  was  ockipied  by  cannables. 
He  told  us  that  he  fell  among  some  of  them 
but  they  got  the  idee  he  had  germs  about  him 
which  he  encurraged  and  they  would  n't  even 
taste  him.  He  says  he  did  n't  have  any  notion 
before  how  up  to  date  cannables  was,  adding 
6  81 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

that  they  'd  passed  a  pure  food  law  and  was 
awful  particular  what  kind  of  missionaries  they 
put  up.  "They  get  aholt  of  our  newspapers, 
too,  sometimes,"  he  says,  "  and  in  a  wedding 
account  of  a  young  missionary  jest  astarting 
out  once  they  saw  where  it  was  stated  that  the 
bride  was  '  a  woman  not  too  wise  and  good 
for  human  nature's  daly  food.'  Coming  from 
such  good  authority  you  can  guess  what  hap- 
pened as  soon  as  she  landed." 

Poly  's  awful  good  company.  "  I  fetched 
home,"  he  says,  "  acouple  of  cans  jest  for  a 
curiosity  but  I  give  'em  away.  I  thought 
maybe  I  had  one  of  the  lables  with  me  (search- 
ing deep  in  to  his  pockets)  but  I  don't  seem 
to  find  any.  I  can  give  you  an  idee,  though, 
what  they  're  like."  And  with  his  pencil  stub 
he  drawed  this  picture  that  I  'm  sticking  on 
here. 

"  Being  considdable  out  in  open  as  what 
you  are,"  says  Mame,  "  you  must  take  good 
deal  of  account  of  the  ways  of  the  birds  and 
the  beasts  of  the  feild,  dont  you?" 

82 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"Good  land,  yes!    We  all  do." 

He  always  said  "  we "  when  he  meant 
tramps  as  if  tramping  was  a  reckernized  pro- 
fession and  he  was  proud  of  being  a  leading 
membar  of  it. 

"  Yes,"  he  says,  "  them  and  us  gets  on  pretty 
familiar  terms  so  that  we  understand  one  an- 
other about  as  well  as  if  we  was  of  the  same 
order  of  creation.  The  birds  now!  You'd 
be  supprised  to  see  how  many  of  our  ways 
they  observe  and  take  advantage  of —  (I  don't 
mean  no  mean  advantage  —  no  bird  ever  does 
that,  except  a  crow,  and  a  crow  does  it  every 
time)  but  jest  kind  of  adaptuating  their  ways 
with  ours  when  it  's  praticable  and  for  mutuel 
advantagiousness.  Nice  little  things  birds  are 
when  you  come  to  know  'em,  freindly  as  can 
be  and  ready  to  meet  your  every  soshel  ad- 
vance. A  robbin  now  has  got  as  plessant  a 
disposhen  as  you  'd  wish  to  see  and  a  ren  is 
an  awfull  agreeble  little  bird  once  you  've  won 
their  cornfidence.  Cat-birds  and  woodpeckers 
is  apt  to  be  irrattable  —  terrible  irrattable,  at 

83 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

times  especially  if  they  're  put  upon.  If  they 
get  their  breakfast-worm  in  good  season,  all 
well  and  good.  If  so  be  Mrs.  Sparrer  or 
Swaller  don't  hapen  to  have  their  bug  or  worm 
ready  jest  as  soon  as  their  bills  is  puckered 
up  for  it,  well,  I  don't  want  to  be  round  to 
hear  'em  jawring  and  complaining  about  it. 
Still  they  've  got  their  good  quallitys  that  you 
can't  help  respecting  them  for.  But  if  there  's 
birds  that  we  all  etarnally  abomunate  and  dis- 
pise  and  can't  see  one  decent  thing  in  'em  its 
crows.  We  hate  'em  so  that  we  Ve  give  'em 
the  name  of  our  little  mother-in-laws  of  the 
air.  Confound  the  black  pests !  They  Ve 
woke  me  up  at  an  unearthly  hour  more  times 
than  I  can  count." 

'  They  never  disturb  you  without  caws,  do 
they?  "  inquired  Ed. 

'  Yes,  asinging  the  crowmattic  scale  more 
often  than  not.  The  etarnal  black  things  is 
hated  by  the  other  birds,  too.  In  fack  the 
color  line  is  drawn  very  closely  among  birds, 
I  have  observed." 

84 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

But  you  like  the  good  birds,  don't  you,  Mr. 
Blittery,"  says  Gussy. 

"  Bless  you,  yes !  We  get  mighty  attached 
to  the  little  critters  living  close  among  'em  as 
we  do,  and  speciel  freindships  among  fethered 
and  fetherless  bypeds  is  not  uncommon. 

"  I  had  a  nintymit  freind  along  the  first  of 
the  spring,  a  little  ren  that  had  a  nest  in  a 
big  spruce  down  in  the  South  Meader.  She 
used  to  come  and  perch  on  my  shoalder  and 
even  let  me  lend  a  hand  in  bilding  her  nest. 
My !  Want  we  three  —  counting  in  the  father- 
bird —  mighty  proud  of  that  fambly  when  they 
hached  out!  " 

Poly  paused.  "Go  on!  go  on!"  crys  the 
children.  "  Tell  us  about  her." 

"  I  can't  youngsters,  and  that 's  a  fack.  She 
aint  aliving  now.  One  day  I  come  along  and 
caught  a  swede,  a  great,  strapping  feller  big- 
ger than  what  I  be,  aiming  his  gun  at  her. 
He  did  n't  know  much  English  and  made  out 
afterwards  he  did  n't  sense  the  jesters  I  was 

85 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

amaking  at  him.  Tip  wan't  afraid  of  him. 
She  was  asetting  there  proud  and  contented 
as  could  be  in  her  nest  looking  out  awfull 
confideing  at  him  with  her  bright  little  eye. 
He  shot  her  dead." 

Poly  pushed  the  doughnut  plait  clurnsyly 
away  from  him  thogh  there  was  two  left  in 
it.  Then  he  went  on: 

"  I  hunted  round  on  the  ground  till  I  found 
her  —  nothing  but  a  little  bunch  o'  brown 
fethers  down  in  the  grass. 

"  And  while  I  held  that  teeny  thing  very 
gentle  in  one  hand,  I  jestickerlated  with  the 
other  what  I  thoght  of  sech  a  deed.  And  I 
jestickerlated  with  sech  good  effeck  that  that 
swede  aint  got  out  of  the  hospittle  yet. 

"  But  that  don't  bring  Tip  back.  There  's 
jest  so  much  less  music  in  the  world  now.  Me 
and  the  father-bird  had  to  bring  the  young 
ones  up  by  hand  seeing  they  'd  lost  their 
mother.  O  I  can't  talk  about  Tip.  I  vow 
I  can't." 

86 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Gussy  rubbed  a  grimey  hand  acrost  his  eyes 
leaving  a  dirty  smooch.  Sis  —  even  incredu- 
lating  little  Sis  —  carefully  wiped  away  a  tear. 
Ed  did  n't  say  nothing.  I  guess  somehow  they 
all  felt  Tip  was  true. 

Urged  to  tell  another  story  and  encurraged 
by  the  deap  effecks  this  one  had  produced  he 
begun  again: 

"  A  chum  of  mine  was  atelling  me  the  other 
day  of  an  awfull  interesting  experiance  he  'd 
had  a  little  ways  back  with  a  flock  of  robbins 
—  jest  plain  ordinnerry  robbins  to  the  best 
of  his  gnolledge  and  abillity  and  probbly  not 
doing  much  out  of  the  common,  only  sech 
actions  not  having  come  under  his  observence 
before  he  kind  of  took  note  of  it.  He  was 
having  a  knap  under  a  cupple  of  big  ellums 
in  Hockey's  pasture  when  he  was  awoke  by 
some  unfamiller  bird-sounds.  First  he  de- 
clared to  himself  they  was  robbins.  Then  they 
wan't  robbins.  Then  they  was.  Then  again 
they  wan't  nothing  of  the  kind.  Finelly  when 
he  was  fully  awake  he  lissened  very  intentually 

8? 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

and  found  while  it  was  robbins  they  wan't 
asinging  the  regglar  robbin  song.  You  know 
what  that  song  is  well  enough. 


•  Tra-la-la,       la-la-la,        la-la-la,       la-la,        la  -  la-la, 


while  this  one  was 


tra-la-la,      la-la-la,        la-la-la,       la -la,        la -la-la. 


Any  way  that  was  what  appeared  to  be  at- 
tempted over  and  over  again  but  it  was  plain 
they  could  n't  quite  strike  the  A  clear  and 
true.  A  cupple  of  'em  flatted  like  the  dig- 
gins.  Others  done  some  better  but  you  could 
see  they  wan't  any  of  'em  compleatly  sattis- 
fyed  with  the  effortes  they  was  amaking.  He 
walked  slowly  along  wondaring  why  they  was 
abothering  to  practice  a  new  song  (while  seak- 
ing  a  turnup  or  cabbidge  pach  for  a  little  light 
refreshment)  when  the  old  song  had  give  sech 
excellent  satisfaction  ever  since  the  world 

88 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

begun.  At  last  he  found  himself  in  front  of 
the  old  log  fence  at  the  end  of  the  pasture. 

"Then  he  knew!" 

Poly  stopped  right  here  same  as  he  always 
does  when  he  gets  to  them  exciting  climacks 
of  his  storys. 

"  Knew  what? "  demanded  Bub  who  was 
agazeing  up  open-mouthed  into  his  face. 

"  I  declare,"  says  Poly,  "  that  what  follered 
in  Hime's  story  (my  chum's  name  is  Hime) 
is  so  very  remarkable  in  many  of  its  particklers 
that  I  should  be  inclined  to  dought  it  did  I 
not  know  how  close  to  nacher  Hime  lives  and 
taking  in  things  every  day  that 's  never  seen 
by  more  worldly  eyes  and  ears." 

"  Referring  to  the  turnups?  "  inquired  Ed. 

"  Referring,"  returns  Poly,  "  to  eyes  and 
ears  that  aint  dum  and  blind  to  everything 
but  money-getting." 

"  O  what  was  it  he  knew  when  he  got  to 
the  fence?  What  was  it,  Mr.  Blittery?" 
yelled  all  the  little  boys  most  to  once. 

"  Knew  what  it  was  them  little  birds  was 
89 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

atrying  to  sing.  Here,  Gussy.  Got  my  pencil? 
There!  the  back  of  this  hand-bill  will  do  to 
show  you  what  he  saw.  It 's  jest  a  plain,  or- 
dinnerry  old  log  fence  like  this : "  drawing 
away  very  carefull  with  the  pencil  stub  his 
tung  stuck  out  and  afollering  the  motions  of 
his  hand  same  as  it  always  does.  "  Jest  a 
plain  ordinnerry  log  fence "  (still  adrawing 
with  tung  and  hand)  "  but  on  it  was  half  a 
dozen  hats,  men's  and  women's,  and  a  vail 
or  2  left  there  by  some  young  folks  that  was 
aplaying  golf  in  the  next  feild  and  had  been 
stuck  between  the  rails.  They  looked  like  this. 


"  So  that  was  the  music  them  little  birds  off 
there  in  the  ellums  was  atrying  with  all  their 
might  to  sing.  He  could  hear  'em  yet  doing 
a  little  better  one  time  and  making  a  compleat 
failure  the  next  but  never  sounding  very  bad 
90 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

on  account  of  even  a  robbin's  failure  being 
musickle.  He  's  an  awfull  good-hearted  feller, 
Hime  is,  and  he  wondered  if  he  could  n't  do 
something  to  help  'em  out.  All  to  once  it 
come  to  him  that  he  could." 

"  How  'd  he  do  it?"  screamed  the  boy- 
koruss. 

"  Why,  no  sooner  did  the  thought  strike 
him  than  he  rushed  up  to  the  fence,  seazed 
the  hats  and  vails,  quickly  changing  them  to 
a  lower  place,  thus  transposing  the  strain  into 
B  flat. 

"  O  the  flud  of  mellerdy  that  filled  that 
pasture  then!  First  a  few  tentitive  cherps 
then  they  sung  it  all  through  loud  and  clear 
and  free ! 

"  Hime  says  if  he  lives  to  hear  the  angels 
sing  it  wont  be  nothing  but  a  flea-bite  corn- 
paired  to  that  music.  A  hat  (the  A)  fell  to 
the  ground.  He  hasened  to  replace  it  fear- 
ing to  hear  cease  that  wondarful  mellerdy. 
While  his  whole  soul  was  absorbed  in  the  ack 
of  doing  this  he  skurcely  felt  a  kick  applyed 
91 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

to  him  from  the  rear.  It  prooved  to  be  the 
owner  of  the  hat  that  had  come  up  unobserved 
and  saw  Hime  with  it  in  his  hand. 

"  Explanations  was  useless.  The  new  comer 
was  a  mattar-of-fack  young  feller  in  the  rubber 
bussiness  and  his  ears  not  attooned  to  cclesti- 


able  harmonys.  He  fermly  refused  to  give 
creadents  to  the  staitment  that  when  he  caught 
Hime  with  his  hat  in  his  hand  he  was  simply 
transposing  some  music  for  the  birds  to  sing. 

"  I  don't  know  as  we  'd  ought  to  blame 
him  either.  As  I  say,  the  story  is  a  remark- 
able one  in  many  ways  and  I  aint  sure  I 
would  give  it  full  creadents  myself  if  it  wan't 

92 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

that  Hime  wan't  seen  setting  down  nowhere 
for  quite  a  spell  afterwards  but  et  his  vittles 
astanding  and  aleaning  against  a  tree.  Of 
course  no  reasonable  person  that  was  famillier 
with  Hime's  easy  ways  would  want  any  better 
confermation  than  that." 

Later. 

Jim  tells  me  that  bill  did  n't  pass  after  all 
up  to  Augusty  but  there  was  so  much  said 
about  the  speach  of  Cess's  that  everybody 
thought  it  had  become  a  law  and  he  says  it 's 
jest  as  well  that  the  folks  here  is  aprotecting 
the  Mayflower  whether  them  men  in  the  legis- 
later  voted  for  or  against  it.  He  says  he  don't 
see  why  it  is  that  a  law  thundered  from  Mount 
Sinai  don't  have  so  much  effeck  as  them  passed 
up  to  Augusty  but  thinks  the  cash  fines  might 
throw  some  light  on  it. 


93 


CHICTOOSET,  May  27. 

POLY  BLITTERY  come  in  again  to-night  about 
supper-time  and  he  was  in  a  state  of  mind. 
As  it  was  the  first  state  of  mind  we  'd  ever 
seen  him  in  everybody  but  me  thinks  he  was 
putting  it  on,  and  that  story  he  told  was  noth- 
ing but  jest  one  of  his  yarns.  Ed  says  if  I 
did  n't  encurrage  him  by  believing  his  every 
word  his  invention  would  never  rise  to  sech 
eppick  heighths.  But  the  fack  is  I  dont  un- 
derstand very  well  about  his  invention.  I 
know  it 's  something  about  a  plow  that  makes 
it  easyer  for  the  horses  and  that 's  all  I  know. 
He  says  if  he  can  get  them  interested  in  it 
that  is  the  most  going  to  be  benerfited  by  it 
the  thing  will  go  through. 

Now  according  to  his  tell  the  horses  will 
be  the  ones  bennerfitted.     So  if  that 's  so  he  's 

94 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

got  to  convince  them  that  this  thing  produces 
the  greatest  maxicum  of  labor  by  the  smallest 
maxicum  of  exertion. 

When  I  told  Ed  about  it  he  says,  "  The 
poor  critters'  ears  wont  be  long  enough  to  take 
that  all  in,  I  fear." 

But  he  was  entertaining  us  ever  at  the  table 
and  told  us  a  lot  about  the  old  timers  that 
we  inquired  about.  One  of  them  was  Bottley 
Cowlinger,  so  called  alwers  because  he  was 
addictuated  to  intemperance.  u  I  spose  he 
went  to  the  dogs  long  ago,"  says  Jim. 

"  No,"  says  Poly,  "  he  did  n't." 

"Didn't?  " 

"  No,"  says  Poly,  "  although  it  looked  for 
a  considdable  spell  as  though  he  would,  and 
I  guess  he  would  if  something  hadn't 
happened." 

"What  happened?" 

"  Why,  the  dogs  riz  up  in  protest." 

Then  he  asked  us  if  we  'd  ever  heard  about 
Bottley's  bet  with  Deacon  Potter.  Course  we 
knew  that  was  one  of  his  little  yarns  be- 

95 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

cause  we  was  sure  the  deacon  would  n't  ever 
bet  but  Mame  told  him  to  tell  it  jest  the 
same. 

"  Well,  the  deacon  kep  the  licker  agency  and 
't  was  pretty  hard  for  him  to  tell  if  the  licker 
he  let  folks  have  was  for  ackchual  sickness 
or  intemperate  purposes  but  there  was  one 
man  he  alwers  knew  enough  to  refuse  and 
that  was  Bottley.  When  he  applyed  for  it 
and  said  his  wife  was  took  with  asmy  and 
required  it  like  all  possessed  he  'd  give  him  a 
little  sermon  instead  and  said  if  he  kep  on 
he  'd  fill  a  drunkard's  grave. 

"  Well,  on  one  occasion  Bottley  offered  to 
bet  with  him  he  would  n't. 

"  The  deacon  had  n't  ever  bet  in  his  life  but 
he  thought  this  would  be  a  means  of  straighten- 
ing Bottley  up  for  Bottley  hated  to  lose  a  bet 
so  he  put  up  the  money. 

"  Well,"  says  Jim,  "  Bottley  lost  that  bet 
all  right.  I  know  what  his  end  was." 

"  No,  he  did  n't.  He  left  the  request  to 
have  his  grave  dug  a  couple  o'  feet  too  wide 

96 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

for  him.  And  his  widder  collected  the 
money." 

Well,  I  was  agoing  to  tell  what  his  state 
of  mind  was  about.  He  et  hearty  of  every- 
thing on  the  table,  complimenting  very  highly 
the  dandy  Jims  that  Mandy  had  made  for  the 
children  and  eating  3  of  them  with  everdent 
relish  but  it  seamed  to  me  his  chearfullness, 
if  not  his  appetite  was  foarced.  Ed  has  been 
reading  "  Undine  "  to  me  and  him  acting  like 
he  did  called  it  to  mind  —  as  if  his  soul  had 
to  do  a  sudden  start,  as  you  might  say,  to 
grow. 

After  supper  he  told  us  he  had  a  subjeck 
of  a  very  deliket  nature  to  talk  over  with  us 
and  he  was  seaking  our  freindly  counsell.  So 
after  the  young  ones  was  put  abed  we  asked 
him  what  it  was.  But  Mame  says  she  took 
notice  when  he  set  down  that  he  was  n't  too 
much  took  up  with  his  trouble  (whatever  it 
was)  to  forget  to  put  his  best  foot  foremost 
as  usual  —  that  is,  the  one  with  the  patient 
leather  shoe  on  it  (one  that  Andy  the  cobbler  'd 
7  97 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

give  him  that  had  n't  been  called  for) .  The 
other  was  carefully  curled  up  under  his  chair. 

"  Yes,  I  find  myself  at  this  junction  in  a 
very  deliket  position,"  he  began  kind  of  em- 
barrassed (Ed  says  he  did  that  part  really 
very  well)  and  absent-mindedly  fingering  the 
large  safety-pin  that  held  his  westcoat  together 
—  "  that  of  being  looked  upon  as  the  suiter 
of  a  refined  and  virtuous  lady  of  means  by 
that  lady  herself  and  not  having  any  sech  in- 
tentions in  mind.  I  come  to  you  the  playmates 
of  my  childhood  and  friends  of  my  riper  years 
to  assist  in  excritating  me  from  the  false  posi- 
tion." And  he  hove  a  sigh  so  long  that  it 
seams  as  if  his  body  that  always  looked  so 
much  like  a  balloon  must  collapse  after  losing 
so  much  air. 

'  Why  don't  you  tell  her  out  and  out  that 
you  aint  any  sech  idea?"  put  in  Mame. 

"  Oh !  "  says  he  with  another  sigh,  the  mate 
to  the  one  that  had  come  before,  "  How  little 
you  know  the  lady  when  you  say  that!  Aint 
I  told  her  over  and  over  again  that  I  aint  any 

98 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

sech  idea  and  dont  it  make  no  difference  at 
all!  She  thinks  it  is  humility  on  my  part 
not  darsting  to  look  so  high  as  her  though 
madly  wishing  to.  To  make  a  long  story 
short  —  " 

"  No,  No !  "  says  Mame,  "  Don't  make  it 
short.  Don't  leave  out  one  single  word  of 
your  story!  " 

"  You  flatter  me,"  he  says  alaying  his  hand 
on  his  heart.  "  Well,  then,  to-day  along  about 
12  I  was  agoing  along  the  county  road  and 
I  smelt  a  boiled  dinner  somewheres.  Further 
progress  settled  it  down  on  a  house  that  for 
the  present  shall  be  nameless.  I  had  some 
choke-cherry  blossoms  I  'd  pulled  offen  a  tree 
as  I  'd  went  along  and  now  it  come  to  me  that 
ladies  like  spring  blooms  and  so  I  stoped  and 
gnocked  and  give  'm  to  the  lady  of  the  house 
when  she  come  to  the  door.  But  I  vow 
I  wan't  in  anyways  prepared  for  the  pleasure 
with  which  she  recieved  my  moddest  gif. 

"  '  Napoleon,'  she  says,  '  you  have  fetched 
the  spring  to  me  and  it  has  entered  my  heart. 

99 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Your  very  face  is  the  sunshine  of  the  spring 
with  its  glow  of  color  and  happyness  —  and 
—  and  it's  promise,'  she  added  kind  of  shy. 
'  This,'  she  went  on,  as  I  follered  her  into  the 
house  and  she  set  an  easy  chair  for  me 
by  the  kichen  winder,  '  is  a  beautiful  attention 
you  have  paid  to  me  but  it  aint  the  first. 
Recolleck,  Napoleon,  the  time  you  drove  our 
Hannah,  the  cow,  out  of  the  turnup  and  cab- 
bage field  for  me?  And  how  you  brought  her 
to  me  completely  subjugated  and  wearing  a 
calm  smile  as  jf  there  had  n't  anything  hap- 
pened out  of  the  common  run?' 

"  '  Well,  there  had  n't,'  I  says. 

"  *  Had  n't !  and  that  cow  the  terror  of  all 
the  country  round.  That 's  jest  like  you  to 
belittle  the  deeds  you  're  always  adoing  for 
folks.  Now  I  'd  like  to  know  how  many 
people's  chimblys  you  Ve  notified  'em  was 
aburning  out  and  how  many  little  children 
you  Ve  rescued  from  drownding  and  how  many 
poor  young  boys  that  has  took  a  little  too 
much  down  to  Si  Plunkett's  that  you  Ve  quietly 
100 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

led  home   after  dark  to  spair  their  mother's 
shame?     O,  I  know  you.' 

"  All  the  time  she  was  asetting  the  table 
and  I  took  notice  with  considdable  interest  that 
she  was  asetting  it  for  two.  Then  she  went 
on  to  say  that  if  I  did  n't  have  nothing  else 
on  hand  I  must  stay  and  have  dinner  with  her. 
'  Here  the  cow  and  the  turnups  and  the  cab- 
bages are  together  again  in  a  boiled  dinner 
and  here  's  you  and  me.  What  more  fitting 
than  that  we  should  set  down  together  at  the 
feast  they  make?  ' 

"  If  that  dinner  did  n't  taste  good !  The 
piece  of  resistance,  the  redoubtable  Hannah 
was  even  as  corned  beef  much  as  you  would 
expect.  But  the  cabbage  and  the  turnups!  O 
there  aint  no  words  in  any  language  to  de- 
scribe them !  Then  there  was  fresh  gingerbread 
and  head  cheese  and  honey  in  the  comb  enough 
for  an  army  —  or  me.  I  looked  acrost  at  my 
hostess  and  thought  how  she  'd  improved  since 
Dianthy  and  Elviator  had  been  at  rest  or  rather 
since  they  'd  left  her  so." 
101 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Then  it  was  Loretty  Maria !  "  cries  Mame; 
"  for  pity's  sakes !  " 

"  Yes,  it  was  Loretty  Maria,  as  fine  a  woman 
as  there  is  anywhere  about  and  not  looking  a 
day  over  55  — but  unfortunately  not  looking  a 
day  under  it." 

He  sighed  again.  And  it  seemed  as  if  this 
last  one  must  leave  him  ashrivelled  up  like  a 
raison  so  much  of  him  appeared  to  go  out 
in  it. 

"  I  am  surprised,"  says  Ed,  "  at  your  apply- 
ing this  terrestial  name  to  your  leading  lady. 
I  fancied  your  experience  might  be  the  outcome 
of  your  recent  submarine  experiance  which  was 
so  interesting  —  that  some  mermaid  —  " 

"  No,  Loretty  Maria  's  no  mermaid.  Would 
that  she  were !  Would  that  at  this  moment  she 
was  desporting  herself  like  a  veritable  mermaid 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea!  I  think  I  could 
coap  with  mermaids  or  even,  for  the  matter 
of  that,  sirens.  I  find  that  I  distinckly  can- 
not coap  with  Loretty  Maria." 

Another  pause  during  which  he  looked  so 
102 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

beaten  and  helpless  and  out  of  wind  generally 
that  it  seamed  almost  cruel  for  Jim  to  say, 
"  Go  on  with  your  story." 

"  Well,  along  the  first  of  it  our  conversa- 
tion run  along  on  safe  ground  —  my  adven- 
tures in  Australia  and  South  Africa  —  she  was 
clearly  pleased  and  interested  when  I  told  her 
in  Australia  I  'd  had  a  goverment  position. 
She  remembered  about  me  studying  medisin 
and  she  asked  if  my  position  was  along  the 
line  of  my  medical  practice. 

'  Indireckly,'  I  replied,  '  as  it  was  the  re- 
moving of  superfluous  hares.' 

"  And  that  reminds  me  of  something  that 
happened  while  I  was  eating  a  piece  of  pie  that 
I  ought  to  be  ashamed  of." 

"  Of  the  pie?  "  from  Mame. 

"  No,"  gravely,  "  of  my  lack  of  confidence 
in  the  maker  of  it.  You  know  how  it  had 
alwers  been  the  boast  of  Dianthy  and  Elviator 
that  they  did  n't  ever  allow  themselves  to  get 
out  of  mince  pie  in  their  house  summer  or 
winter,  year  in  and  year  out.  Well,  of  course 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Loretty  Maria  would  be  akeeping  right  along 
in  that  rut  same  as  in  every  other  —  with  one 
notable  exception  "  (here  the  look  of  misery 
settled  down  again  on  his  rosy  face,  that  soon 
shone  out  again  from  it,  however,  as  clouds 
are  scattered  by  the  sun)  "  and  so  I  wan't 
surprised  when  she  riz  up  and  proceading  to 
the  oven  door  took  out  the  finest  looking  and 
smelling  mince  pie  that  I  'd  ever  set  eyes  on 
with  a  towel,  hot  and  rich  and  spicy,  though 
mince  pies  is  mighty  uncommon  at  this  season 
of  year.  She  cut  off  a  quarter  of  it  and  passed 
it  over  to  me,  fat  raisons  abusting  out  at  the 
aiges  and  the  aromy  fairly  intoxicating  me.  I 
took  one  lucious  mouthful.  But  I  did  n't  take 
another. 

"  If  any  of  you  have  ever  by  any  mischance 
got  a  hair  in  your  mouth  with  your  vittles 
you  will  understand  my  unpleasant  predica- 
ment. All  my  effortes  to  gently  excritate  it 
from  my  teeth  with  my  tongue  and  swaller 
it  resulted  in  its  twisting  and  atwisting  itself 
back  and  forth  over  them  till  I  felt  sure 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

they  must  look  like  a  harp  of  a  thousand 
strings. 

"  I  felt  that  gallantry  toward  my  hostess  for- 
bade me  mortifying  her  by  removing  it  with 
my  fingers  and  as  she  kep  her  eye  fixed  firmly 
on  me  waiting  for  my  encomians  on  her  pie, 
no  opportunity  came  to  do  it  unobserved.  It 
came  to  me  that  maybe  she  'd  got  aholt  of  the 
wrong  receipt  and  had  used  the  old  rule  for 
rabbit  stew  that  says,  '  First  catch  your  hair.' 
Finally  I  got  it  down  but  the  idea  and  the 
sensation  was  far  from  pleasant." 

"  You  spoke  of  some  honey  on  the  table," 
put  in  Ed.  "  Did  you  think  to  swaller  the 
comb  after  it?  " 

"  What !  And  imply  an  insult  to  my  hos- 
tess's hair?  I  did  not.  She  looked  awfull 
hurt  because  I  did  n't  eat  no  more  pie  but  it 
wan't  till  she  clared  away  and  was  awashing 
up  the  dishes  and  I  was  asetting  by  the  winder 
asmoking  my  pipe  that  she  says,  with  the  hurt 
look  still  in  the  eye  she  turned  toward  me,  the 
other  firmly  fixed  on  the  dish-pan  (there  never 
105 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

was  concerted  action,  as  you  might  say,  be- 
tween them  two  eyes  of  Loretty  Maria's). 

"  '  Napoleon,  why  did  n't  you  like  my  pie?  ' 

"'Like  your  pie,  Loretty  Maria?  Why  I 
did  like  it.  That  pie  was  more  than  perfect ' 
—  which  was  true.  It  was  surely  perfect  be- 
fore its  hirsute  ingredient  was  added. 

"  '  Then  why  did  n't  you  eat  it?  ' 

"  '  Loretty  Maria,'  I  says,  '  don't  you  know 
my  capacity  is  limmited?  ' 

"And  didn't  she  know  it?"  inquired  Jim 
who  was  awhittling  out  a  wilier  whistle  for 
Gussy  but  giving  full  ear  to  the  story. 

"  '  That  my  capacity  is  limmited  and  I  'd 
partook  so  hearty  of  Hannah  and  the  vege- 
tables that  there  my  effortes  had  to  cease?' 

"'Oh!'  she  breathes  with  immense  relief. 
1 1  'm  glad  't  was  on  that  account.  I  was  scairt 
you  did  n't  like  the  rubarb  flaver  in  it.' 

"'Rubarb?'  I  says.  'Rubarb  in  mince 
pie?' 

"  *  Yes.  Course  there  's  no  fresh  apples  this 
time  o'  year  and  it  hapens  jest  now  that  there 
1 06 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

aint  a  dryed  apple  in  town  either  and  so  as 
Si  said  he  would  n't  have  any  in  for  a  couple 
o'  days  I  done  best  I  could  and  put  in  rubarb 
in  room  of  'em.  I  could  n't  sense  its  presence 
myself  but  I  thought  maybe  you  had  and  found 
it  unpleasant.  The  only  disadvantage  to  me 
was  it  was  kind  of  stringy  in  places." 

"  *  Loretty  Maria !  '  I  exclaimed.  '  Have 
you  hove  out  that  piece  o'  pie?' 

"  '  No,  I  aint,'  she  says,  '  and  here  it  is/ 
fetching  it  from  the  cubbard,  '  if  you  feel  ekel 
to  it  now.' 

"  '  Ekel  to  it !  Ekel  to  that  piece  o'  pie ! 
No,  I  aint  and  I  dont  know  any  human  being 
that  is.  They  're  all  inferior  to  it,  in  my 
opinion.' 

"  And  without  another  word  I  fell  to  and 
et  that  slice  o'  nectar  and  she  would  n't  rest 
till  I  'd  et  another  quarter  on  top  of  it.  And 
if  it  had  been  rubarber  than  what  it  was  it 
would  n't  have  spoilt  it  for  me. 

"  But,"  he  continnered  in  a  different  tone, 
"  I  guess  it 's  true  that  you  have  to  pay  some- 
107 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

how  for  everything  you  get  in  this  life  —  if 
it  aint'in  cash  it's  in  something  else.  As  I 
did  n't  pay  for  that  dinner  in  cash  I  'm  apay- 
ing  for  it  in  something  else." 

"  Indigestion?  "  I  says. 

"  Indigestion!"  with  contemp.  "No.  Would 
that  it  was  a  trifle  like  that!  Loretty  Maria 
is  bound  to  marry  me !  That 's  what  it  is. 
And  that 's  how  I  'm  apaying  for  that  dinner." 

"  There,  there,"  says  Jim.  "  You  had  ought 
to  be  careful  about  using  ladies'  names  like 
that."  He  had  finished  the  whistle  and 
was  blowing  experimental  toots  on  it  so  Poly 
had  to  raise  his  voice  a  little  to  be  heard 
above  it. 

"  Me  using  her  name !  Don't  she  propose 
to  use  mine  all  the  rest  of  her  life,  I  'd  like 
to  know?  " 

"  We  cannot  blame  her,"  says  Ed,  "  since 
it  is  a  striking  name.  And  may  I  ask  this 
conundrum  relating  to  it?  "  wishing,  as  he  said 
afterward,  to  introduce  a  lighter  note  into  the 
conversation  and  thus  releave  the  strain  of  it. 
108 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Why  is  it  peculiarly  fitting  that  this  gentle- 
man should  bear  the  name  of  Blittery?  " 

No  one  could  think  of  a  good  answer,  so 
we  all  had  to  give  it  up. 

"  Because  it  was  his  father's,"  says  Ed. 

"  Admirable,"  returned  Poly,  "  admirable 
not  only  in  its  form  but  in  its  deeper  meaning. 
Well,  perhaps  the  pie  had  gone  to  my  head. 
Anyway  I  says,  '  Loretty  Maria,  anybody  that 
can  get  up  a  chief  doover  like  this  had  ought 
to  get  married.  Folks  says  you  'd  been  mar- 
ried long  ago  if  you  was  n't  so  put  upon  and 
kep  under  by  Dianthy  and  Elviator.  Now 
they  're  gone,  there 's  no  reason  why  you 
should  n't  brisk  up  and  enjoy  yourself.' 

"  *  Aint  I  too  old  to  brisk  up  now,  Napo- 
leon? Aint  my  chanst  come  too  late?' 

"  I  looked  into  the  thin  little  face  that  was 
astanding  still  now  and  alooking  at  me  so 
wistful.  All  over  it  was  wrote  in  little  fine 
lines  her  spoken  words  too  late.  Inside  I  was 
mad  with  Dianthy  and  Elviator  on  account  of 
'em  not  stepping  out  before  and  giving  her 
109 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

her  chanst  in  time.  But  I  says  (I  could  say 
no  less),  'Too  late,  Loretty  Maria!  What 
are  you  talking  about?  Why,  you  're  jest  at 
an  interesting  age  to  my  mind.  You  're  passed 
the  age  where  you  'd  make  mistakes  and  you  've 
been  kep  under  so  long  by  them  female  Blue- 
beards that  you  '11  prize  your  liberty  all  the 
more.  Loretty  Maria,  you  Ve  been  interested 
in  hearing  about  my.  travells.  Why  don't  you 
take  a  little  trip  somewhere  yourself  jest  as  a 
starter?  Jest  to  try  your  wings,  as  you  might 
say '? 

"  Loretty  Maria  take  a  trip !  "  exclaimed 
Jim.  "  You  might  as  well  expect  the  big  oak 
on  Plunkett's  Hill  to  pack  it's  trunk  and  to  go 
atravelling.  I  know  for  a  fack  that  the  only 
time  Loretty  Maria's  ever  took  a  trip  out  of 
this  town  was  when  she  rode  over  that  winter 
to  the  funerell  of  her  uncle  in  South  Buxton 
that  left  her  the  500$  and  froze  both  of  her 
ears." 

"  That 's  what  she  said  —  she  had  n't  ever 
been  out  of  Chictooset  but  once  and  she  did  n't 
no 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

spose  she  'd  ever  have  the  courage  to  start  out 
alone.  She  did  n't  say  nothing  about  freezing 
her  ears  but  I  should  n't  wonder  if  she  had 
'em  in  mind  when  she  spoke  of  alwers  want- 
ing to  travell  in  tropickle  climbs. 

"  '  Oh!  '  she  says,  kind  of  frightened  at  the 
idea.  '  Oh !  I  could  n't  ever  start  out  all  alone. 
What  would  Dianthy  and  Elviator  say?  O 
I  couldn't.' 

"  '  No  need  to  start  out  all  alone,  Loretty 
Maria,'  I  says  chearfully.  '  Hitch  up  along 
with  somebody  else.  Anybody  'd  feel  lucky 
enough  to  get  aholt  of  sech  good  company  's 
you.' 

"  '  They  aint  anybody  to  hitch  up  along 
with,'  she  says,  *  as  I  know  of.' 

"'They  aint?  I  guess  they  is  and  not  far 
away  either  that  would  like  to  hitch  up  along 
with  yer  if  they  was  give  encurragement  to.' 

"  She  'd  set  down  but  at  this  she  riz  up  and 
come  over  to  me,  the  dish-cloth  in  her  hand. 

"  *  Do  you  mean  that,  Napoleon?  '  she  says. 
4  Is  that  what  you  've  been  adriving  at  all 
in 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

along?  How  long,  Napoleon,'  she  says,  '  have 
you  been  acarrying  my  imege  in  your  bosom, 
not  darsting  to  speak  out  your  mind?' 

Poly  stopped  and  looked  round  at  us  all. 
The  sweat  was  astanding  on  his  forred,  and 
he  drawed  the  sleave  of  his  coat  acrost  it. 

"  That 's  the  false  position,"  he  says,  "  that 
I  'm  into." 

Later. 

Well,  when  Jim  asked  Poly  how  he  lotted 
on  us  ahelping  him  out  he  said  what  he  wanted 
us  to  do  was  to  wait  upon  Loretty  Maria  and 
tell  her  what  a  low-down,  mizzable  critter  he 
was  and  not  worthy  to  tie  her  shoe  if  we  could 
get  it  into  the  conversation. 

"  I  Ve  told  her  that  myself,"  he  says,  "  and 
she  thought  it  was  all  moddesty  on  my  part 
and  reproached  me  for  my  self-deprecation, 
follered  by  encurraging  me  by  saying  I  was  a 
night-errant  that  gave  myself  frealy  to  human- 
ity with  never  a  thought  of  pay  and  that  was 
what  kep  me  poor  —  representing  vollunterry 
112 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

povarty  in  the  best  and  highest  sense.  *  With 
a  wife  of  mature  age  at  your  side,'  she  says, 
'  to  impart  insperration  and  a  fortune  that  re- 
leaves  your  mind  of  many  of  the  material 
things  there  is  no  heighth  to  which  you  can't 
attaign.  You  shall  not  feal  so  unworthy  of 
me,  Napoleon.' 

"  So  I  had  to  give  up,"  says  Poly,  "  trying 
to  make  her  believe  I  meant  what  I  said.  At 
sech  times  when  words  are  so  mixing  and  de- 
feat your  every  purpose  I  wish  the  day  had 
come  that  the  sickologers  predictuate  when 
thought  can  be  read  direck  and  all  you  '11  have 
to  do  will  be  to  take  the  lid  offen  a  person's 
mind  and  look  into  it  seeing  for  yourself 
what 's  there.  I  would  have  give  all  I  aint 
got  if  at  that  moment  I  could  have  took  off 
the  lid  of  my  mind  and  give  Loretty  Maria 
one  good  look  inside.  It  would  put  a  sudden 
end  to  this  onpleasant  misunderstanding." 

But  I  for  one  would  n't  want  my  mind 
treated  as  you  would  a  sugar-bowl  and  I  said 
so.  I  guess  there  aint  anybody  but  what  has 

8  113 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

got  some  little  corner  they  don't  want  the  whole 
world  to  see  and  I  'd  rather  depend  on  words, 
unsattisfactory  as  they  be,  for  a  spell  longer. 

"  Jennie,"  says  Ed,  "  your  mind  would  be  a 
sugar-bowl  but  there  's  lots  of  vinnegar  jugs, 
too.  But  what  dark  and  terrible  secret  are 
you  abiding  from  the  world,  dear?  " 

Well,  Poly  asked  if  in  the  name  of  friend- 
ship we  would  perform  this  service  for  him 
and  secure  his  liberty. 

"  Don't  the  Bible  tell  us,"  he  inquired,  "  that 
we  are  entitled  to  life  liberty  and  the  pursoot 
of  happiness?  Now  I  aint  asking  for  any- 
thing but  jest  one  of  the  three  —  liberty.  I  'd 
give  up  the  other  two  for  jest  this  and  if  the 
cry  was  '  Give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death,' 
I  'd  say,  *  I  '11  take  both  of  'em  if  there  aint 
no  other  way.' 

"  That 's  how  I  feal  at  the  present  writing," 
he  sighed  weerily  and  drawed  the  other  sleave 
acrost  his  forred.  Mame  nudged  me  how  wet 
it  was. 

"  Now  Poly,"  says  Jim  kindly,  "  we  believe 
114 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

your  yarn  jest  as  much  as  we  would  if  it  was 
printed  between  yeller  covers.  What  would 
you  do  if  we  was  to  go  over  to  Loretty 
Maria's  and  do  as  you  request?" 

A  radiant  look  overspread  his  feachers. 

"  Do?  I  'd  call  down  unnumbered  blessings 
on  your  heads!  When  will  you  go?  " 

"  To-night,"  says  Mame  promptly.  "  We 
was  agoing  to  call  there  anyway  before  Jim 
went  away  and  we  '11  start  this  very  minute. 
I  hope  it  aint  too  late.  I  know  Loretty  Maria 
goes  to  bed  with  the  hens." 

"  Me  and  Ed  will  go  too,"  I  says. 

"  No  you  wont,"  declared  Mame.  "  I  know 
you  don't  mean  no  harm  by  it,  Jennie,  but  I 
believe  that  happy  face  of  yours  has  done  all 
the  mischief  —  if  there's  been  any  mischief 
done.  I  aint  any  doubt  that  it  was  the  extat- 
tic  expression  you  've  wore  since  you  've  been 
Mrs.  Spinney  that  put  sech  things  into  Loretty 
Maria's  head  —  assooming  that  sech  things  is 
there.  No,  you  aint  the  one  to  try  to  discur- 
rage  anybody  from  matrimony." 
"5 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  And  you  are?  "  inquired  Ed.  "  Is  that  the 
right  inference?  " 

"  Ed  Spinney,"  she  says,  "  you  nead  n't  think 
you  Ve  got  all  the  felicity  there  is.  I  guess 
you  aint  the  first  man  that  was  ever  marryed." 

"  I  could  almost  wish  he  was  to  be  the  last," 
wailed  Poly.  He  was  still  perspiring  freely 
but  both  sleaves  being  wet  he  surrepticiously 
used  a  scrap  of  cloth  among  Mame's  cuttings 
on  the  table  to  wipe  off  his  forred  which  he 
threw  into  the  scrap-basket. 

Jim  got  up  and  went  to  looking  for  his  hat. 
That  would  give  Poly  time  to  back  down,  he 
thought,  because  it  always  takes  considdable 
time  to  find  that  hat.  But  even  after  Mandy 
had  fished  it  out  from  under  the  sofy  where 
the  baby  'd  poked  it  and  brushed  it  off  and 
handed  it  to  him,  even  then  Poly  was  still 
awearing  that  pleased  expectorating  look. 

"  Give  it  to  me  good  and  hard,"  he  says. 

"  Tell  her  that  you  guess  that  p'raps  on  God's 

great  earth  there  aint  a  critter  that 's  so  gen- 

'elly  low-down  and  good-for-nothing  as  what 

116 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

I  be  —  that  I  'm  a  cuss  to  the  commoonity  and 
a  warning  to  youth  and  if  any  stronger  lan- 
guage than  that  comes  to  yer,  use  it.  Use  it 
freely. 

"  And  I  guess,"  he  added  humbly,  "  that  you 
wont  be  saying  nothing  but  the  truth.  I  guess 
you  wont  be  lying,  Jim,  if  you  say  it  all." 

Jim  held  out  his  hand  to  him.  "  Poly,"  he 
says,  u  I  aint  a  doubt  that  you  're  trying  to 
play  a  trick  on  us  but  I  '11  say  this  for  you. 
I  '11  say  that  the  words  you  put  into  Loretty 
Maria's  mouth  (and  they  sound  jest  exackly 
like  her  —  that 's  where  your  genius  comes  in) 
was  more  than  half  true.  You  aint  ever  got 
nothing  to  give  to  folks  but  you  're  always 
willing  to  give  yourself." 

"  But  that 's  the  spirit  I  'm  objecting  to  in 
Loretty  Maria !  I  wish  her  charraty  stopped 
short  of  it.  Good-night  and  God  speed  you 
both  on  this  friendly  mission."  Then  after 
they  'd  gone  he  opened  the  door  and  hollered 
after  'em,  "  Tell  her  I  'm  a  piret  and  a  fuger- 
tive  from  jestice!  Tell  her  —  " 
117 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

But  they  was  out  of  hearing  by  this  time 
and  he  came  back  for  his  scrap  of  a  hat. 

"  Mr.  Blittery,"  say  Ed,  "  I  'm  surprised 
that  in  this  difficulty  as  in  so  many  others  in 
which  you  have  found  yourself  at  various 
periods,  that  you  don't  light  out.  Jest  absent 
yourself  from  town  for  a  year  or  so  without 
leaving  any  address  and  this  matter  will  right 
itself.  Your  flight  would  convince  Miss  — 
(has  she  a  surname?)  of  the  sincerity  of  your 
words  when  you  say  it  is  not  your  wish  to 
wed  her." 

Yes,  she  's  got  a  surname  but  I  guess  every- 
body 's  forgot  it  now.  I  know  I  have.  Them 
girls  has  alwers  went  by  their  first  names  and 
their  father  was  jest  "  Savin  Silas  "  before  'em. 
But  about  lighting  out  I  'd  have  done  that  the 
minute  she  began  to  talk  if  there  wan't  a  press- 
ing business  matter  that  keeps  me  here.  To 
go  away  jest  now  would  jeppardize  serious 
business  interests  of  mine." 

Ed  laughed.  "  Now  look  here,"  he  says. 
1  You  Ve  strained  our  credoolity  to  the  snap- 
118 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

ping-point  with  your  love-tale  but  a  story  about 
business  snaps  it." 

"  It  don't  with  Jennie.  I  know  she  believes 
me." 

"  Yes,"  I  says,  "  and  I  'd  do  anything  I 
could  to  help  you.  I  know  you  'd  be  as  hon- 
est in  business  as  you  would  be  in  love." 

He  thanked  me  and  went  away.  I  pity  him. 
And  I  believe  every  single  word  he  told  us  was 
true. 


119 


CHICTOOSET  May  28 

CLOUDY  with  every  appearance  of  a  storm. 
But  perhaps  it  wont  after  all.  Perhaps  it  will 
turn  out  to  be  a  nice  day  same  as  yesterday, 
although  there  's  considdable  cobwebs  on  the 
grass  and  round.  We  been  looking  forred  to 
a  nice  rainy  day.  A  rainy  day  in  the  country 
is  jest  beautifull  I  think  and  we  aint  had  a  reel 
out  and  out  one  since  we  come.  There  's  lots 
of  beautiful  things  we  been  planning  for  the 
first  rainy  day. 

Jim  and  Mame  has  been  telling  us  how  they 
carryed  out  Poly  Blittery's  plan  last  night.  Lo- 
retty  Maria  was  awful  pleased  to  see  them  when 
they  went  in.  They  did  n't  get  there  any  too 
soon  as  she  'd  jest  opened  the  door  and  was 
aputing  out  the  cat  when  they  was  about  to 
gnock  on  it.  She  told  them  all  about  the  fu- 
nerells  and  their  last  words  and  everything, 
120 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

and  took  them  into  the  pantry  and  showed 
them  all  her  jars  of  jellys  and  preserves  and 
pickles  that  her  and  Dianthy  and  Elviator  had 
put  up  in  the  fall.  Mame  says  they  made  an 
awfull  handsome  sight,  rows  and  rows  of  the 
different  colors  of  stuff,  red  and  green  and  yaller 
and  perple  in  the  shining  jars  along  the  pantry 
shel/es.  Jim  says  it  looked  pretty  to  him  most 
as  any  flower  garden.  She  had  took  up  a 
basket  and  as  they  talked  she  was  selecting 
several  jars  to  send  to  me  for  a  wedding 
present  and  he  says  it  was  jest  like  a  freind 
taking  you  into  their  garden  and  picking  a 
bright  flower  for  you  here  and  there.  The 
three  sisters  had  a  secret  about  putting  them 
up  and  keeping  all  the  natural  colors  that  they 
would  n't  tell  to  a  living  soul.  It  is  said  that 
Loretty  Maria  was  quite  well  along  before 
they  'd  ever  trust  it  to  her  and  they  say  that 
that  was  one  reason  she  was  kep  down  to  sech 
an  excess  by  them  fearing  she  'd  let  it  out 
irreverently  if  she  was  out  among  folks  much. 
When  she  handed  the  basket  to  Mame  (it 
121 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

was  too  preshus  to  be  trusted  to  a  man  )  she 
spoke  of  my  marriage  and  said  she  understood 
that  my  husband  was  interested  in  me  quite  a 
spell  before  I  'd  sensed  it.  And  when  Mame 
said  that  was  so  she  said  that  it  was  more  than 
likely  that  there  was  lots  of  jest  sech  cases  if  the 
truth  was  known  where  all  the  man  neaded  was 
a  little  encurragement  owing  to  the  lady  being 
in  some  ways  above  him  and  if  it  wan't  given 
two  (2)  lives  would  be  shattered  and  blarsted. 

"  Under  sech  circumstances,  Mary,"  she 
asked,  "  what  would  you  say,  speaking  in  a 
general  way,  to  the  lady  giving  him  a  glimpse 
of  her  own  heart  if  it  could  be  done  consistant 
with  maidenly  dignity?  " 

Mame  says  you  could  have  gnocked  her  over 
with  a  pin-feather.  Her  and  Jim  had  been 
aplanning  how  to  lead  up  to  Poly's  subjeck 
(though  they  didn't  believe  a  word  of  his  story) 
and  here  was  Loretty  Maria  appayrently  lead- 
ing up  to  it  herself.  Mame  felt  it  was  a  top- 
pick  that  required  very  deliket  handling  and  she 
was  turning  round  in  her  mind  the  best  way  to 
122 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

answer  when  Jim  blarted  out,  remembering  his 
promise, 

"  I  see  that  low-down  mizzable  miscrint  of 
a  Poly  Blittery's  ahanging  round  here  this 
summer.  I  guess  —  " 

But  he  did  n't  get  no  further.  Meek  little 
Loretty  Maria  riz  up,  her  face  and  eyes  ablaz- 
ing  so  she  looked  20  years  younger,  Mame  says, 
and  she  cries  out,  '  Not  another  word,  James 
Allen !  Poly  Blittery  's  my  advianced  husband." 

Jim  said  the  first  thought  that  come  to  him 
was  that  Poly's  alphabetical  eals  was  reel  then 
after  all.  Their  capers  could  n't  be  more  won- 
derful than  a  woman  like  Loretty  Maria  mak- 
ing sech  a  fool  of  herself. 

There  was  a  silence.  Then  Jim  says,  "  Are 
you  sure  of  this,  Loretty  Maria?  It  seems  like 
a  strange  story  to  me.  Have  you  had  it  from 
good  authority?  And  has  it  come  to  Poly's 
ears  himself?  " 

Then  there  follered  a  long  talk  in  which 
Loretty  Maria  opened  up  her  mind. 

"  You  know  as  well  as  me,  Mary  Babcock," 
123 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

she  says,  (  she  alwers  forgot  to  give  Mame  her 
married  name)  that  I  Ve  been  put  upon  all  my 
life,  though  I  aint  ever  owned  up  to  it  myself 
before  this  minute.  I  aint  ever  known  what  it 
was  to  see  anything  but  hateful  snarly  faces  to 
the  table  or  anywheres  else  around  me  in  the 
house.  I  want  ever  good-looking,  I  guess,  but 
once  I  was  young  and  I  never  had  the  things 
that  belonged  to  youth.  I  never  had  a  beaux. 
I  aint  even  got  the  memory  of  one  that  begun 
to  shine  around  me  a  little  spec  and  then  got 
tired  of  me  and  marryed  somebody  else.  I 
aint  got  nothing  at  all,  not  even  a  disappoint- 
ment —  nothing,  that  is,  excep  a  little  bunch  o' 
meader  rue  that  Poly  Blittery  fetched  me  one 
morning  a  couple  of  years  ago  and  left  on  the 
shed  steps  and  that 's  in  my  Bible  now. 

"  I  expect  you  '11  call  me  foolish  but  I  Ve  al- 
wers had  a  dream  of  a  lover  that  would  gneel 
at  my  feet  and  says,  '  Have  pitty  on  me,  Loretty 
Maria!  Have  pitty  on  one  that  cannot  live 
without  you ! ' 

"  It  begun  when  I  was  a  little  spec  of  a  girl 
124 


I've  always  had  a  dream  of  a  lover  that  would 
gneel  at  my  feet  and  says,  '  Have  pitty  on  me, 
Loretty  Maria  !  '  " 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

and  it  got  to  be  a  habit  with  me  to  keep  that 
dream  in  my  mind  —  only  the  lover  kep  aget- 
ting  a  little  older  all  the  time." 

'  Well,  he  'd  ought  to  be  somewheres  round 
60  by  this  time,"  says  Mame,  "  according  to." 

"  That 's  jest  the  differculty.  He  aint  and  I 
can't  make  him  so.  At  60  he  could  n't  get 
down,  he  'd  be  so  stiff  in  the  joints.  I  try  and 
try  but  you  can't  controal  your  dreams.  I  can't 
make  my  dream  lover  a  day  over  35.  I  Ve 
tryed  to  put  a  few  gray  streaks  in  his  hair  jest 
to  make  him  more  suitable,  but  I  can't  even 
do  that." 

By  this  time  Jim  had  gone  out  into  the  kitchen 
for  a  smoke  and  to  hear  the  Poll-Parrot  talk. 
He  says  he  could  n't  stand  sech  foolishness  as 
was  agoing  on  in  that  settin-room. 

"  Well,  "  says  Mame  soothingly,  "  I  dont 
know  's  there  's  any  harm  in  having  your  dream 
lover,  as  you  call  him  (and  I  guess  that's  as 
good  a  name  as  any  )  jest  exackly  as  you  want 
him.  Nobody  but  yourself  would  ever  know 
the  differance.  But  Loretty  Maria,  it  aint  in 
your  mind,  is  it,  to  do  a  ridicklous  thing  in  actuel 
125 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

fack?  "  Then  she  told  her  how  useless  it  would 
be  to  expeck  any  one  like  Poly  to  settle  down 
after  he  'd  been  leading  sech  a  wandering  life. 

"  I  don't  want  him  to  settle  down.  I  don't 
want  to  stay  settled  down  myself.  I  want  to 
take  a  lot  of  trips  into  tropickle  climbs,  and 
sech  places,  where  he  's  been.  I  Ve  got  the 
means.  Mary,  I  was  born  55  years  ago  but  I 
aint  but  16  in  reality,  I  aint  ever  reely  lived." 

Mame  says  perhaps  she  had  n't  but  she 
looked  at  Loretty  Maria's  face  and  thought 
of  what  Ed  said  once,  that  Time  is  the  best 
of  acters.  Never  under  any  conditions  does 
he  forget  his  lines. 

"  Then  how'  you  'd  worry  about  him  when 
he  made  one  of  his  disapearances  that  he  's  sub- 
jeck  to.  One  day  he  'd  be  here  and  the  next 
day  he  would  n't  and  you  not  having  the  re- 
motest idea  where  in  creation  he  's  went  to." 

"  But  I  want  to  have  something  to  worry 
about.  Dianthy  and  Elviator  alwers  done  my 
worrying  for  me  —  I  did  n't  have  the  privelege 
of  doing  even  that  for  myself.  Then  he  needs 
a  wife  to  fix  him  up.  I  don't  know  when  any- 
126 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

thing  has  went  to  my  heart  like  that  old  brass- 
safety-pin  that  was  aholding  his  west-coat  to- 
gether last  time  he  was  here  —  and  me  with  a 
whole  coffee-can  full  of  men's  buttens  up  in  the 
cubbard  that  was  Father's." 

"Oh!  "  says  Mame  the  wise,  "that  feeling 
aint  wifiness,  that 's  motherlyness.  Why  did  n't 
you  offer  to  sew  some  buttens  on  his  westcoat 
for  him?" 

"I  —  I  did  n't  think  it  would  be  quite  — 
deliket,"  she  says. 

"  Come,  Jim,"  calls  Mame  then,  "  I  'm  ago- 
ing home."  And  to  Loretty  Maria,  "  Good- 
night, I  wont  say  nothing  more  now,  Loretty 
Maria,  because  I  know  you  '11  think  better  of 
this  when  you  come  to." 

I  Ve  thought  of  a  splendid  plan.  One  that 
will  releace  Poly  and  make  Loretty  Maria 
happy,  too. 

I  'm  awful  surprised  she  did  n't  know  there 
was  somebody  admiring  her  in  the  past. 


127 


CHICTOOSET,  May  29. 

WE  have  all  been  down  to  the  boat  to  see 
Jim  off  for  home  as  his  vacation  will  be  up  to- 
morrer.  We  are  agoing  to  feel  pretty  lone- 
some without  him.  I  'm  glad  Ed  is  in  the  in- 
surance busines  so  he  can  make  this  his  head- 
quarters while  he  goes  off  on  his  trips.  He  's 
a  getting  in  quite  a  little  business  right  round 
here. 

The  two  little  fresh-air  boys  is  acoming  to- 
morrer  and  our  little  boys  can't  hardly  wait 
till  they  get  here.  They  are  going  to  give 
them  a  beautiful  time.  Sis  is  alaying  plans, 
too.  She  has  got  a  place  riged  up  in  the  barn 
chamber  jest  like  a  school  with  a  row  of  boxes 
to  set  down  on  and  she  says  she  is  agoing  to 
learn  them  about  plants  and  about  how  the  bees 
go  south  in  the  winter  and  how  the  bears  hy- 
phenate in  cold  weather  and  all  sech  things. 
And  she  has  got  self-made  maps  all  round  on 
128 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  walls.  When  Jim  saw  them  he  says 
"  Well,  the  earth  do  move."  She  had  got 
various  islands  and  capes  about  a  thousand 
miles  from  where  they  was  when  he  went  to 
school. 

Me  and  Mame  and  Mandy  is  making  up 
quite  a  stack  of  bread  and  doughnuts  and  pies 
and  boiling  a  lot  of  hulled  corn.  Hulled  corn 
is  the  most  nurrishing  thing  there  is  for  the 
expense  but  it 's  quite  a  lot  of  work  and  Ed 
is  building  a  trapeze. 

Later. 

Poly  blittery  has  disappeared.  Nobody 
knows  where  to.  Ed  said,  "  How  about  that 
important  buisness  mattar  that  was  akeeping 
him  here?  I  expeck  that  has  been  brought 
sudden  to  a  final  issue." 

He  was  aspeaking  jocosively  but  it 's  turned 
out  there  was  sech  a  mattar  after  all.  When 
Cess  Perkins  examined  that  contraption  he  'd 
made  for  a  plow  he  said  it  wan't  probably  worth 
nothing  but  seeing  Poly  was  an  old  freind  and 
9  '29 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

feller-townsman  and  appearantly  hard-up  he  'd 
give  him  50$  for  it,  Poly  releasing  himself  from 
what  rights  there  was  in  it.  But  Poly  stood  out 
for  a  hundred  enthasizing  what  a  long  lenth 
of  time  he  'd  been  his  freind  and  feller-towns- 
man and  how  partickler  hard  up  he  was  at  the 
pressent  moment  but  Cess  stood  ferm  at  50$. 
That 's  what  Poly  was  awaiting  for,  to  see  if 
he  couldn't  get  the  100$. 

Well,  nobody  's  seen  him  since  4  o'clock  this 
afternoon  when  Cess  met  him  in  the  road  and 
offared  to  compromize  on  75$  and  Poly  took 
it  excep  the  little  Ackley  boy  from  the  poor 
farm  that  met  him  agoing  up  the  South  Buxton 
road  and  he  give  him  (the  little  Ackley  boy) 
a  silver  half-a-dollar. 

There  's  jest  a  few  of  us  that  can  conjecturate 
why  Poly  did  n't  stand  out  longer  for  the  rest 
of  the  hundred  $.  And  Ed  says 'he  has  paid  in 
cash  after  all  for  the  boiled  dinner  up  to  Lo- 
retty  Maria's.  It  stands  him  in  jest  twenty 
five  $  (25$)  a  princely  sum  to  a  Chictooseter 
and  no  mistake. 

130 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Poly  's  an  Esau  —  was  born  an  Esau.  The 
world  is  full  of  Jacobs  and  Esaus,  the  Esaus 
being  in  the  majorrity  by  a  good  deal.  They 
are  hungry  most  of  the  time  and  want  their 
pottage  right  away  —  hot.  There  's  a  lot  of 
Jacobs  who  have  been  agetting  ready  for  jest 
sech  opportoonitys.  They  are  willing  to  wait. 
They  have  n't  et  their  pottage  as  fast  as  it  was 
made  but  have  some  laid  by  —  or  the  where- 
withal to  buy  it. 

Them  like  John  D.  Rockyfeller  or  Cess  Per- 
kins that  can  resist  temptation  and  are  willing 
to  postpone  getting  the  things  they  want  grad- 
ooally  accummulate  the  world's  wealth. 

Esaus  work  for  them. 

Mame  says  anyboddy  that  can  talk  like  Ed 
can  when  he  's  in  earnest  (which  is  few  and 
far  between)  had  ought  to  be  sent  to  the  leg- 
islater.  And  Jim  says  there  's  nearer  and  se- 
curer places  than  that  if  so  be  we  reely  want  to 
get  rid  of  him. 


CHICTOOSET,  May  30. 

THE  little-fresh-air  boys  has  come  and  pan 
ammonia  raigns  supream  in  the  shed  chamber 
where  our  boys  is  astarting  in  to  entertain  them. 
I  guess  probbly  I  can't  write  much  in  the  Diary 
while  they  're  here  on  account  of  the  extry  work, 
but  if  there  's  any  little  cracks  or  crevisses  of 
time  presenting  themselves  they  will  be  joyfully 
applyed  to  the  Diary. 


132 


CHICTOOSET,  Sunday  June  2. 

BEAUTIFUL  day. 

I  don't  know  why  a  June  Sabbath  can  be  so 
much  lovelier  than  a  June  Tuesday  or  a  June 
Friday.  But  sech  is  the  case  as  we  all  realize. 
When  we  was  awalking  home  from  church 
Mame  was  alooking  up  at  the  deliket  light 
colored  foalitage  on  the  trees  and  she  says  to 
Mrs.  Hammond  that  was  awalking  alongside 
of  her,  "  We  don't  see  such  deliket  and  tender 
greens  after  June." 

"  No,"  says  Mrs.  Hammond,  "  it 's  a  fack 
that  we  don't.  They  aint  fit  to  eat  after  that." 

We  're  all  awriting  to  Jim  to-day  —  children 
and  all  —  so  there  aint  no  more  time  for  the 
Diary  now. 

Sis  has  got  hers  wrote  already  and  sealed 

up  and  tucked  under  the  setting-room  carpet 

so  the  boys  won't  get  afoul  of  it.    In  it  there  's 

one  of  them  flat  pin-balls  that  she  's  made  for 

133 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

him,  one  side  being  a  piece  of  her  mother's 
best  dress  and  the  other,  of  her  own  pretty  red 
one. 

"  I  made  it,"  she  says,  "  of  the  very  thinnest 
pasteboard  I  could  find  so  it  would  n't  take 
an  extry  stamp.  So  now  I  Ve  saved  2  cents 
towards  coming  to  Chictooset  next  time." 

"  Two  cents-ible  for  a  child,  I  call  it,"  says 
Ed.  He  likes  the  boys  disposhens  the  best  that 
takes  as  little  heed  to  saving  as  to  pin-balls. 


134 


CHICTOOSET,  June  3. 

TO-DAY,  his  face  almost  lost  behind  a  big  cloud 
of  smoke  from  his  precious  pipe,  came  our  old 
friend  and  Mother's,  Capten  Joe  Silliker.  I 
declare  if  it  did  n't  seem  jest  like  old  times  when 
we  see  his  little  wizened  up  figger  asetting  down 
by  the  kitchen  winder  jest  where  he  used  to  set, 
when  we  was  all  children  asmoking  a  big  pipe 
and  atalking,  while  I  was  making  pies  and 
Mame  agetting  things  ready  for  the  stew. 

A  nice  little  piece  of  veal  had  been  fetched 
in  by  a  good  kind  nabor  that  Mame  chopped 
up  to  put  in  the  stew.  It  was  ruther  a  small 
piece  for  a  big  fambly  like  ours  but  we  made 
lots  of  dumplings  to  put  in  and  plenty  of  pota- 
ters  and  with  a  couple  of  my  evacuated  apple 
pies  we  had  a  splendid  dinner.  It  done  us  all 
good  to  see  the  little  fresh  air  boys  pitch  into 
it.  We  give  them  most  of  the  meat  part  on 
135 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

account  of  them  exercising  more  than  what  we 
had  out  doors. 

The  Capten  aint  an  interesting  talker  like 
Poly  Blittery.  He  kind  of  yaps  out  little  short 
sentences  and  don't  never  use  no  superflewous 
languge.  First  time  Sis  heard  him  in  the  nex 
room  she  thought  he  was  a  new  record.  Ed 
says  he  don't  understand  what  we  see  in  him. 
I  guess  it 's  the  past,  much  as  anything,  that  we 
see  in  him,  and  all  the  plessant  things  he  done 
for  us  when  we  was  little.  It 's  like  the  two  old 
seringa  bushes  corner  of  the  back  yard.  One 
morning  Ed  was  kind  of  claring  things  up  out- 
door and  he  comes  in  and  says,  "  Them  old 
bushes  that 's  about  dead  keeps  the  grass  from 
agrowing  green  up  in  the  corner.  The  boys 
is  here  to  help  and  I  guess  I  '11  take  the  oppor- 
toonity  and  get  the  ax  and  chop  them  up  for 
firewood." 

'  The  boys?  "  says  Mandy,  come  into  the 
room  in  time  to  hear  the  last  words,  aghast. 

But  me  and  Jim  and  Mandy  says,  "  No,  them 
bushes  has  got  to  die  a  nacherel  death.  While 
136 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

they  put  forth  a  leaf  or  a  blossom  they 
should  n't  be  cut  down.  We  could  see  what 
Ed  could  n't  see.  We  could  see  Jim's  pile  of 
books  there,  where  he  used  to  strech  himself  out 
and  studdy  on  warm  days,  and  the  places  where 
he  hid  his  ball  and  his  marbles  and  the  box  for 
his  rabbits.  We  could  see  me  and  Mandy's 
doll-house,  made  of  a  soap  box,  with  all  the 
beautiful  pieces  of  broken  crockery  in  it  and 
our  rag  dolls  asetting  up  to  the  table.  We 
could  see  Mother  in  her  best  bunnet  on  Sun- 
day apicking  the  first  blossoms  to  carry  to  the 
church.  That  's  what  we  saw  when  we  looked 
at  the  homely  old  bushes  and  what  Ed  could  n't 
see. 

Same  as  Mandy  says  she  can  almost  taste 
tamarinds  and  guavo  jelly  when  she  hears  the 
capten's  voice. 

Ed  says  that  what  reel  material  the  capten 
has  gathered  up  in  the  way  of  experiances  would 
do  wonders  if  Poly's  vivvifying  fancy  was 
brought  to  bear  on  it.  But  the  capten  aint  got 
anything  but  facks.  He  can  tell  you  jest  what 
137 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  lattitude  happened  to  be  at  the  time  he  was 
wracked  and  jest  how  many  fathoms  from  the 
shore  it  ockured.  But  if  you  Ve  only  got  facks 
and  satisticks  to  contribbute  to  offer  in  con- 
versation and  no  fancy  you  're  pretty  dull  com- 
pany to  most  folks. 

Well,  he  had  more  'n  common  to  say  this 
morning  atelling  about  a  dream  he  had  last 
night  on  account  of  eating  some  tripe  that 
seemed  so  reel  and  acktual  he  could  n't  seem 
to  throw  it  off. 

He  was  agoing  through  that  shipwrack  again 
on  the  "  Flying  Judith  "  off  the  coast  of  Swit- 
zerland and  was  asetting  on  the  deck  (see- 
ing he  could  n't  stand  on  account  of  the  vessel 
being  on  her  beaming  ends)  and  ahollering 
off  orders  to  his  men,  "  Man  the  fo'castle," 
he  hollers,  and  "Cut  the  starboard  astern  I" 
when  all  to  once  she  give  another  lurch  and  he 
was  throwed  over  into  the  raging  and  boiling 
sea. 

"  I  vow,"  he  says,  "  if  I  did  n't  strike  a  block 
o'  floating  timber  jest  as  plain  and  distink  as 
138 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

what  I  did  in  the  acktual  wrack  all  them  years 
ago,  so  much  so  that  Hi  and  Nate,  Phebe's 
little  boys,  that  sleeps  with  me  was  jest  about 
scared  out  of  their  senses  when  they  woke  at 
the  howl  I  give  and  they  saw  me  alaying  on  the 
floor.  I  'd  struck  on  my  chest  and  this  mornin' 
I  found  a  big  dent  in  it  and  all  the  contents 
mixed  up. 

"  Maybe,"  he  says,  "  I  wan't  tickled  to 
death  to  find  out  it  was  only  one  of  the  dreams 
that  stuff  is  made  of  and  I  was  snug  in  harber 
and  alongside  my  own  bed  leastwise  my  small 
share  of  it. 

"  I  aint  ashamed  to  say  that  I  got  right  down 
on  my  gnees  and  give  thanks  that  sech  was  the 
case  and  that  I  wan't  ever  going  off  on  no  more 
v'yages  —  excep  my  last." 

"  Then  you  don't  have  no  difficulty  in  getting 
down,"  I  says,  "  to  your  morning  and  evening 
devastations  do  you?" 

"  None  to  speak  of.  I  dont  flop  down  same  's 
I  did  in  my  younger  days.  I  kind  of  creak 
down  gradooal,  but  I  get  down,  and  that 's  the 
139 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

main  p'int.  What  makes  you  ask?  You  aint 
aselling  no  rheumatical  medisen,  be  you?" 

"  No,"  I  says.  Then  I  inquired  if  he  was 
ackchelly  glad  he  wan't  ever  going  on  no  more 
v'yages,  and  if  he  did  n't  ever  feel  no  hankering 
for  the  sea  same  as  most  retired  captens  did, 
and  long  once  more  to  unfold  his  opinions  for 
one  long  fecituous  flite  over  seas  into  troppicle 
climbs  and  he  said  he  'd  be  blowed  if  he  ever 
did. 

I  guess  I  was  kind  of  disappointed  but  I  was 
pleased  when  he  added,  thoughtfully  watching 
me  rolling  out  my  pie-crust  with  a  maple  serrup 
bottle  (we  could  n't  find  the  rolling-pin  since 
the  boys  used  it  to  roll  one  of  their  cars  on) 
"  Not  but  what  I  'd  like  to  make  a  trip  by  steam 
if  it  was  so  I  could.  I  aint  ever  took  a  trip  by 
steam." 

"  Maybe  you  will  some  time,"  I  says. 

"  No,  no,"  he  answers,  "  it  can't  ever  happen. 

But  I  kind  of  have  a  pipe-dream  what  it  would 

be  like  same  as  you  do  whether  the  plannets 

or  not  is  inhabited.     It  don't  do  no  harm,  as  I 

140 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

know  of.  I  expeck  the  jiggly  motion  might 
make  me  sea-sick.  But  all  the  same  twould  n't 
be  bad  asetting  on  the  deck  without  no  respon- 
cerbility  and  ready  for  anything  that  might 
come  up." 

"  Well  now,"  I  says,  "  that  dream  calls  to 
mind  one  Loretty  Maria  's  had  ever  since  she 
was  an  infant  child  almost  and  she  was  atelling 
about  the  other  day."  And  then  I  told  him  a- 
bout  Loretty  Maria's  dream  lover  and  about  his 
stunt  that  he  kep  adoing.  Then  I  says,  "  And 
that  calls  to  my  mind  how  we  promised  Loretty 
Maria  a  cup  of  yeast  of  this  week's  raising, 
and  if  it  aint  agoing  to  put  you  out  I  'd  take  it 
very  kindly  if  you  'd  jest  lug  it  along  to  her 
as  you  're  apassing  her  home." 

The  capten  looked    kind   of    took    aback. 
After  a  minute  he  says,  "  I  was  acackleating  to 
go  home  the  lower  road,  but  —    Aint  there 
none  o'  the  boys  round,  Jennie,  to  take  it  up 
there?" 

"  Yes,  they  '11  go,  Capten,"  I  says,  "  if  so 
be  you  don't  wish  to." 
141 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  No,"  he  says,  "  I  spose  I  '11  go,  seeing  it 's 
you  that  wants  me  to.  But  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  Jennie,  I  aint  anxious  to  go  to  Loretty 
Maria's  house.  I  recolleck  letting  out  to  you 
once  that  I  was  mighty  interested  in  Loretty 
Maria  before  I  took  up  with  Judith  and  no- 
body knows  what  might  have  happened  if  it 
wan't  for  them  she-dragons,  Dianthy  and  El- 
viator,  so  that  no  one  ever  darsted  to  go  near 
her.  And  I  Ve  felt  kindly  towards  her  ever 
since.  But  Dianthy  's  let  me  know  at  differant 
times  that  Loretty  Maria  'd  took  a  dislike  to 
me  and  could  n't  abide  me  and  what  she  done 
with  a  bunch  o'  meadder  rue  that  I  'd  left  on 
the  shed  steps  one  Sunday  morning  jest  for 
freindship." 

"What  did  she  say  she  done  with  it?"  I 
says  afacing  round  at  him. 

"  Hove  it  into  the  fire  as  soon  as  she  saw  it." 

"  Capten,"  I  says,  "  I  Ve  got  undying  proof 
that  that  meadder  rue  is  in  her  Bible  now." 

The  capten's  pipe  fell  from  his  lips  to  the 
floor  and  broke.     He  did  n't  notice  it. 
142 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Where  's  yer  yeast?  "  he  says  briskly.  "  I 
may  's  well  take  it  right  along." 

Later. 

The  woman  that  brought  in  the  piece  of  meat 
was  Mrs.  Ellery  Hammond,  the  particularest 
housekeeper  there  is  in  Chtctooset,  so  every- 
body vows  and  declares.  There  aint  a  single 
thing  ever  out  of  place  in  her  home  and  no 
smoking  or  mud-tracks  to  the  slightest  degree. 

"  I  aint  defending  smoking  nor  mud-tracks," 
Mame  says  yesterday  when  we  was  talking 
about  it  after  she  'd  been  in  here  and  made  her 
brags  about  sech  things  while  she  eyed  our 
sticky  door  latches,  "  but  I  Ve  found  by  expe- 
riance  that  a  judishous  sprinkling  of  each  helps 
to  make  a  home.  She,  poor  thing,  with  all  her 
neatness  aint  got  nothing  but  a  house. 

"  But  its  a  house  all  ashining,"  says  Sis,  who 
loves  order  to  a  degree,  and  is  put  to  it  to  find 
new  hiding  places  for  her  lead-pencil  and  her 
comb  every  day  of  her  life,  "  and  it  must  be  beau- 
tiful to  live  in  a  house  where  everything  is  never 
143 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

out  of  place.  Mrs.  Hammond  always  knows 
just  where  everything  belonging  to  her  is." 

"  Yes,  excep  her  husband  and  boys,"  says 
Mame. 

We  think  it  was  her  severity  that  has  drove 
her  daughter  Albuny  to  the  other  extremmity. 
She  married  a  Swiss  sailor  that  come  here  on 
the  floating  zephyr  by  the  name  of  Egz.  She 
hated  like  the  worst  poison  ever  was  to  call  her 
little  boy  by  her  fambly  name  for  a  Christian 
name  when  he  came  along  but  her  mother 
foarced  her  to  the  issew  on  account  of  the  Ham- 
monds being  such  a  long  and  honorable  line, 
and  the  child's  father's  first  name  (that  Albuny 
wanted  to  give  him  )  sounding  so  much  like  dar- 
ing your  throat.  Well,  I  was  agoing  to  say  that 
Albuny  is  bringing  up  her  child  according  to  the 
new  magazine  method,  not  to  foarce  his  little 
will,  but  let  his  little  character  develop  natu- 
ral and  spontaneous  so  she  says,  and  not  warped 
and  rigified  by  extraneous  agencies  sech  as 
parents  and  gardeens  that  have  no  right  to  do 
so  and  should  stand  in  awe  and  respect  to  the 
144 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

child  that  has  been  given  to  them,  and  the  neigh- 
bors say  if  there  is  a  field-fence  astanding  or 
a  poor  old  horse  or  cow  left  unmutilated  or  a 
tool  able  to  be  found  down  to  the  ship-yard  after 
Hammond  Egz's  character  self-forms  itself 
its  more  than  can  be  reasonably  expected. 

But  in  the  face  of  all  this  yielding  up  to  her 
boy  Albuny  says  there  's  one  point  she  '11  be  as 
decided  about  as  the  everlasting  hills  is,  and  that 
is  that  with  the  name  he  's  got  foarced  on  him 
her  boy  shan't  never  (she  says  she  aint  laid 
her  hand  on  the  Bible  but  it  amounts  to  that) 
shan't  never  (and  she  means  it  I  guess)  go 
into  the  restyrant  business.  It  would  make  him 
ridicklous.  But  Mame  says  it  don't  make  no 
odds  what  she  calls  him  —  he  never  comes. 
She  says  that  when  she  (Albuny)  blows  a  tin 
horn  for  him  that  she  keeps  a  purpose  ahanging 
behind  the  shed  door  for  him  to  come  and  get 
in  the  night's  wood  she  can't  think  of  a  thing 
(Mame  can't)  but  the  Scripcheral  "  I  have 
piped  unto  you  and  you  have  not  danced." 


CHICTOOSET,  June  4. 

A  GREAT  to  do  in  the  naberhood  to-day  be- 
cause Pete  picked  a  little  peice  of  minionet 
between  Mrs.  Hammond's  fence  and  her  act- 
ing like  he  'd  committed  some  fragrant  crime. 
And  last  night  at  the  supper-table  Sam,  the 
bigest  one  that 's  doing  the  best  he  can  (by 
spells)  and  is  helping  Pete  to  be  good,  too, 
saw  him  drinking  his  coko  out  of  his  saucer 
and  says  gently,  "  Remember,  Pete,  God  sees 
you." 

"  .Yes,"  ascented  poor  Pete  remorsifully  as 
he  set  the  saucer  down,  "  I  spose  that  deed  's 
got  up  to  Heaven  by  this  time." 

Ed  says  he  don't  see  how  they  're  ever 
going  to  distinctuate  between  what 's  wicked 
and  what 's  impolite.  He  says  folks  is  as  apt 
to  show  the  same  horrer  at  their  bad  gram- 
mer  as  if  they  swore.  But  as  to  ourselves  in 
146 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

regard  to  them  we  're  follering  pretty  close 
a  verse  from  the  Ladies  Collum  in  the  Chic- 
tooset  Arrow  that  Sis  read  out  loud  to  us  the 
day  before  they  come  which  is  thus:  "Never 
crittersize  a  gest  that  is  under  your  roof  that 
has  pecooliararitys  of  dress,  behavier,  or 
views." 

"  Now!  "  says  Sis.  "  Seeing  them  little  boys 
is  agoing  to  be  our  gests  we  all  got  to  govern 
ourselves  accordingly." 

The  Stubbs  girl  that  hapened  to  be  pressant 
grinned,  but  Sis,  geting  kind  of  red  in  the  face, 
says,  "  It  don't  add  '  unless  they  're  poor  and 
homeless.'  It  says  any  gest." 

So  that  rule  is  what  we  're  agoing  by. 
Strange  to  say  the  one  that  it 's  the  hardest 
to  go  by  it  is  Sis  herself.  No  one  else  in  the 
fambly  is  tryed  to  sech  an  excess,  but  she  sticks 
to  it  valliantly  in  the  face  of  all.  Ed  says  it 
is  very  striking  the  way  her  few  cherrished 
possessions  work  in  for  their  stage-impropertys. 
But  the  worst  was  when  they  took  her  sash  — 
the  only  one  she  's  ever  had  —  after  she  'd 
H7 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

ironed  it  very  careful  and  left  it  to  air  behind 
the  stove  that  she  was  agoing  to  wear  out  to 
supper.  She  reely  had  n't  ought  to  have  left 
it  among  the  clean  dish-towels  for  they  hapened 
to  be  playing  horse  and  took  it  to  eak  out  the 
reins.  Sis  could  n't  help  crying  when  she  found 
her  sash  as  she  was  geting  ready  to  go  out 
where  it  was  left  by  Sam  that  was  nothing  now 
but  a  dirty  string  tied  in  between  a  peice  of 
close  line  and  a  horse's  halter,  but  even  then 
she  stuck  to  the  Ladies'  Collum  and  muttared 
no  reproach.  But  at  sech  times  I  expeck  the 
easyest  part  of  the  rule  to  keep  is  about  not 
crittersizing  their  "  views."  I  guess  it  don't 
make  much  odds  to  Sis  what  their  views  are, 
if  any.  A  little  later  we  saw  Sis  awending  her 
way  over  to  Alvesty  Stubbs's,  a  box  containing 
her  few  traysures  that  had  so  fur  remained 
intack  in  her  arms  and  she  's  left  it  in  Alvesty's 
care.  Ed  says  it 's  fortunet  for  Sis  she  has  got 
no  sence  of  umor  while  Alvesty  has. 

"  Maybe,"   I   says,   "  she  's  got  a  common- 
sense  of  umor." 

148 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  There  aint  any  sech  a  thing,"  says  Ed. 
Take  it  all  in  all  I  don't  think  anybody  can 
ever  go  very  far  wrong  that  follers  the  Ladies' 
Collum.  Excep  spots.  I  will  say  that  we  Ve 
found  it  more  dependable  for  etiquet  than  for 
spots  or  sech  things  as  the  care  of  canary  birds. 
Mame  tryed  to  remove  one  from  her  brown 
gingem  a  few  years  back  by  using  a  mixcher 
that  it  recommended  and  what  did  it  do  but 
set  the  color  for  all  time.  But  we  aint  had  any 
sech  results  in  follering  derections  for  genteel 
behavier  and  we  feel  that  we  can  be  gided  by 
it  unreservably  in  sech  mattars.  Mother  alwers 
read  it  after  she  'd  finished  the  deaths. 

Referring  to  that  speshel  rule  Ed  says  he 
wonders  if  the  fraze  "  under  your  roof  "  applys 
to  gests  that  are  desporting  themselves  on  your 
ridge-pole  same  as  these  little  boys  has  done 
more  than  once  since  they  come.  When  I 
reminded  him  that  the  letter  killeth,  but  he 
said  he  doubted  it.  He  says  he  's  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  nothing  does  —  if  it 's  boys. 

As  I  look  from  the  winder  I  see  Mandy 
149 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

working  like  all  possessed  diging  worms  for 
Pete.  No  mother  that  I  ever  saw  done  it 
more  cheerfully  and  he  requires  a  great  num- 
ber of  worms,  fishing  as  he  does  the  heft  of 
the  time. 


June  7. 

WE  have  got  the  most  wonderful  and  splendid 
news  about  Poly  Blittery  that  ever  was. 

I  Ve  been  looking  back  throgh  the  Diary  and 
I  find  the  last  time  I  mentioned  him  was  when 
he  got  75$  from  Cess  Perkins  for  his  invention 
and  what  a  big  sum  of  money  it  seemed. 

Now  comes  the  news  (and  it  is  well  aug- 
menticated  on  every  hand,  so  we  can  believe  it) 
that  there  is  75,000$  comeing  to  him  for  that 
same  invention !  I ! 

It  appears  that  a  long  time  ago  Poly's  mod- 
del  had  been  examined  by  a  young  lawyer  fel- 
ler named  Groopy  (relation  to  the  Henburys) 
that  has  got  a  pretty  long  head  and  he  discov- 
ered there  was  something  in  it.  So  he  advised 
Poly  to  file  a  caveyat  in  the  patient  office  in 
Washington  to  protect  himself.  But  Poly  told 
him  he  did  n't  want  to  bother  about  filing  it, 
probly  because  he  hated  the  sight  of  a  tool  of 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

any  kind.  But  Mr.  Groopy  said  so  much  that 
finelly  Poly  said  he  could  do  it  for  him  and  he 
would  work  on  Mr.  Groopy's  wood-pile  till  his 
trouble  and  expenses  was  reimburced.  So  he 
done  it  and  stuck  valliantly  to  the  wood  pile 
till  Mr.  Groopy  said  he  was  sattisfied  and  then, 
he,  being  Poly,  promply  forgot  all  about  the 
transaction.  But  when  Cess  applyed  for  the 
patient  in  Washington  he  run  up  against  Poly's 
caveyat  and  found  he  did  n't  have  no  rights  at 
all  and  had  hove  away  his  75$!  Then  a  man 
that  is  interrested  in  sech  things  heard  about  it 
and  said  he  would  give  75,000$  to  the  real 
inventer  for  the  moddel  and  an  assinement  of 
rights.  (It  took  Ed  quite  a  spell  to  explain  to 
me  what  this  all  meant  and  I  don't  know  as  I 
rightly  understand  it  now.)  The  unplessant 
part  of  it  is  Poly  can't  be  found  anywhere.  But 
a  numbar  of  leading  men  here,  headed  by  Jim 
and  Ed  is  agoing  to  start  right  in  to  find  him. 
We  alone  know  why  he  don't  come  back  to 
Chictooset.  Jim  has  just  wrote  this  off  for  the 
citty  papers: 

152 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  N.  B.  "  (That  means  Napoleon  Blittery) 

"  Safe   for  you  to  return  and  no  questions 

popped.     You  will  hear  something  to  your  ad- 

vantageousness  if  you  will  write  to  J.  S.  A.  or 

come  and  get  it  yourself. 

P.  S.       A  word  to  the  Wise  is  Suffishant." 

Concerning  this  last  Mame  says  that  being 
true  why  are  they  paying  for  35  or  40?  Not 
that  she  begrudges  it.  Ed  says  conversation 
through  the  press  always  does  come  high,  that 
he  knows  of  a  man  who  had  to  pay  1000$  jest 
for  one  simple  remark. 

So  Poly  will  see  the  notice  and  come  back. 
How  glad  everybody  is  for  him !  And  they  all 
say  he  deserves  every  single  cent  of  that  splen- 
did forchunel 


153 


CHICTOOSET,  June  14. 

THE  little-fresh-air  boys  left  to-day,  and  it  seems 
as  if  y2  of  the  house  was  gone.  When  they 
come  it  went  to  our  heart  to  see  them  so  puny 
and  white-livered,  and  as  for  Pete,  the  littlest 
one  that 's  got  a  great  head  on  a  poor  little  slip 
of  a  body,  Sis  said  all  she  could  think  of  when 
she  saw  him  was  an  improper  fraction.  But  I 
guess  she  was  reminded  of  considdable  other 
improper  things  before  they  left. 

Her  school  and  the  bees  ?  Them  boys 
had  n't  been  here  a  half  an  hour  after  they  'd  et 
their  dinner  that  they  was  n't  blacked  up  and 
having  a  minstrel  show  in  the  barn  chamber  and 
the  only  boys  in  town  that  was  willing  to  pay  a 
cent  and  be  audiance  was  ockipying  them 
primly  placed  soap  and  candle  boxes  that  was 
afterwards  split  up  for  slats  for  their  wild  an- 
imal show. 

154 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

They  had  a  circus,  they  had  a  torpedow  boat 
fight  off  of  the  shore  and  the  2  fresh-air  boys 
stayed  so  long  under  water  everybody  thought 
they  'd  drownded  and  now  all  the  town  boys 
is  atrying  to  do  the  same  thing. 

Sam,  the  bigest  one  knew  a  way  to  get 
weighed  in  the  slot  machine  down  to  the  tavern 
without  puting  in  his  nickel  and  he  done  it  every 
chance  he  got  to  see  if  he  was  againing.  And 
he  found  he  was.  Ed  says  he  was  like  the  Arabs 
that  silently  stole  a  weigh.  We  did  n't  mind 
their  other  capers  so  much  but  this  was  the  same 
as  stealing  and  we  talked  to  Sam  considdable 
about  it.  He  found  he  'd  gained  4  pounds  in 
the  10  days,  and  seemed  to  feel  renewed  in 
every  tuber  of  his  body  so  he  said  when  we 
asked  him  if  he  did  n't  and  Pete  too. 

They  had  a  splendid  vissit  and  we  can't  be 
thankful  enough  that  we  could  have  them  and 
that,  as  Ed  says,  we  did  n't  have  to  send  them 
back  to  the  citty  in  sections. 

They  was  awful  well-meaning  little  boys. 

Things  that  got  mislaid  while  they  was  here 
155 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

is  being  found  gradooally.  Hod  Perkins  came 
acrost  our  wash-board  down  in  the  meadder 
to-day  &  fetched  it  home. 

We  aint  found  the  big  shears  yet  but  I  guess 
they  '11  come  to  light.  It  being  sech  slow  work 
using  the  butten  hole  scizzars  to  cut  out  blouses 
with  I  hope  they  will. 


156 


JUNE  15. 

POLY 's  got  his  money  —  the  75,000$. 

The  little  boys  is  ahollering  Hurrah,  hurrah ! 
and  its  all  us  big  folks  can  do  to  keep  ahollering 
it  with  them.  The  whole  town  is  rejoicing. 

He  ain't  come  back  to  Chictooset  but  he  's 
been  found  and  it  was  all  fixed  up  in  Wappi- 
sangug  throgh  a  lawyer  and  it 's  in  all  the 
papers.  I  suppose  I  '11  jest  have  to  write  my 
HURRAH. 


157 


From  the  Chictooset  Arrow,  June  16. 

"  A  VERY  pretty  home  wedding  occurred  at  the 
home  of  Loretty  Maria  Penhollow  to  Captain 
Joseph  Silliker,  Commander  of  the  late  and  ill- 
fated  barkentine,  The  Flying  Judith."  (See- 
ing nobody  was  pressant  at  the  wedding  but 
Loretty  and  the  Cappen  and  old  Mrs.  Newcome 
and  Pamelia,  Mame  wonders  what  it  was  made 
it  pretty.)  "  We  understand  that  the  happy 
pair  started  at  once  for  tropical  climes.  We 
wish  a  long  life  of  joy  and  happiness  to  the 
gallant  Captain  and  his  lovely  bride. 

"  We  take  pleasure  in  appending  a  tender 
little  poem  written  by  the  bride  that  was  kindly 
handed  in  to  us  with  a  generous  slice  of  the  cake. 
We  feel  that  this  may  well  rank,  in  quaintness 
and  simplicity  of  style,  among  the  best  efforts 
of  the  poet  Wadsworth  : 
158 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Long,  long  he  loved  Eve's  daughter 

But  darsted  not  to  speak 
And  fain  would  he  have  sought  her 
Had  he  but  dared  to  seek. 

But  when  at  last  he  wooed  her 

A-gneeling  at  her  feet, 
Like  heathens  worship  Boodha, 

She  made  his  joy  compleat." 

There  never  was  sech  a  time  in  Chictooset 
as  what  there  was  the  evening  they  was 
married.  All  the  men  and  boys  in  town  and 
some  of  the  girls,  too,  joined  in  the  serranade 
with  horns  and  tin  pans  and  anything  they 
could  get  aholt  of.  Then  they  had  a  band  over 
from  South  Buxton  and  you  never  heard  sech 
a  racket  in  your  life.  They  serrounded  the 
house  and  kep  a  calling  "  The  Bride !  the 
Bride !  We  want  to  see  the  Bride !  "  So  at 
length  jest  to  get  rid  of  them  Loretty  come  and 
stood  in  the  winder  looking  almost  frightened 
to  death,  the  Cappen  beside  her —  and  himself, 
too,  almost. 

159 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

She  whispered  to  the  Cappen  as  they  stood 
there  and  he  raised  his  hand  as  a  signal  he 
wanted  to  speak.  As  soon  as  the  hubbub  mod- 
erated down  enough  though  there  was  still 
cries  of  "  Speach!  speach!  "  he  says,  after  dar- 
ing his  throat  a  good  many  times. 

"  Me  and  my  —  Wife  is  —  obliged  to  our  — 
freinds  and  feller  cittizzens  for  this  —  warm 
demminstrashen  and  she  —  her — "  (here  he 
was  nudged  by  Loretty  Maria)  "  and  we  want 
every  —  one  of  you  to  go  down  to  Si  Moseley's 
and  get  all  the  —  siggars  and  apples  and  candy 
you  wish  according  to  your  —  ages  and  sexes 
and  —  " 

"  Preveous  condishen  of  servitood  "  is  what 
Ed  thinks  he  wound  up  with  (seeing  there  was 
half-adozen  widdowers  in  the  crowd)  but  there 
was  sech  a  roar  set  up  that  minnet  that  no  buddy 
really  caught  the  finel  end  of  that  last  sentance. 
The  air  was  rent  with  "  Three  cheers  for  the 
Cappen  and  the  Bride!  Three  cheers  for  the 
Cappen  and  the  Bride !  " 

And  they  was  give  so  loud  and  hearty  that 
160' 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

I  don't  see  if  the  wind  was  in  the  right  direc- 
tion how  the  folks  up  on  Mars  could  help 
ahearing  it.  Then  in  less  than  5  minnets  the 
whole  gang  was  acrowding  round  Si's  to  sech 
an  excess  that  it  was  all  him  and  his  2  brothers 
could  do  to  wait  on  them  and  keep  account. 

Dear  simple  souls !  Why  could  n't  they  look 
ahead  and  protect  themselves  from  all  this  pub- 
lissity  (course  I  ain't  talking  about  Si  and  the 
boys)  by  keaping  their  plans  hid? 

Of  course  there  was  lots  that  would  n't  let 
on  they  was  supprised  —  sech  folks  never  do. 
One  woman  (Mrs  Jerry  Piper  out  by  the  crick) 
said  Loretty  Maria  and  the  Cappen  had  been 
keeping  company  kind  of  quiet  —  in  fact  had 
been  virtuously  engaged  —  for  a  number  of 
years. 

Them  dashes  I  Ve  put  in  with  the  Cappen's 
speach  don't  reppresent  a  thing  but  the  way  he 
yaps  out  two  or  three  words  to  a  time  and  then 
stops,  same  as  I  Ve  spoke  of  before.  Ed  says 
the  dashes  is  ambigutous  but  I  want  to  say  the 
Cappen  aint  a  profain  man  and  never  was. 


CHICTOOSET,  June  17. 
JEST  beautifull  to-day. 

Ed  and  me  are  going  to  be  alone  all  day. 
The  rest  of  the  folks  have  gone  over  to  South 
Buxton  to  stay  till  to-morrer  avissiting  Maine's 
aunt  Sophelia  Atkins  and  Uncle  Hiram  that 
lives  on  a  big  farm  and  that 's  been  asending 
and  asending  for  them.  Our  folks  jest  kep 
aputting  it  off  till  yesterday  Uncle  Hi  sent  over 
his  horse  and  carryall  for  them  to  go  over  in 
by  a  young  feller  that  was  acoming  here  to  see 
his  girl.  They  got  started  this  morning  at 
five  o'clock  and  I  'm  glad  they  Ve  got  sech 
lovely  weather.  Me  and  Ed  was  invited,  too, 
but  Ed  could  n't  go  on  account  of  buisness  and 
I  seemed  to  feal  as  if  I  had  n't  ought  to  leave 
him. 

"  I  'm  awfull  sorry,"  says  Mame  awinking 
at  Jim,  "  that  you  two  have  got  to  stay  to  home 
together."    Then  she  laughed  as  she  kissed  me 
162 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

good-by  and  says  "  While  the  sky  moon  aint  got 
nothing  but  a  man  in  it  that 's  the  way  your 
honeymoon  had  ought  to  be." 

But  I  jest  smiled  as  they  drove  off. 

There  's  a  good  deal  in  what  Mame  says. 

And  speaking  about  the  man  in  the  moon 
when  Sis  said  once  it  was  funny  how  he  never 
gives  us  but  jest  one  view  of  him  and  that  full 
face  Ed  said  there  wan't  no  doubt  it  was  on 
account  of  there  being  no  women  there  to  turn 
his  head. 

"  Huh !  "  says  Mame,  "  I  'm  familier  enough 
with  the  vanity  of  men  in  general  to  know  the 
reason  he  never  turns  his  head  is  because  he  's 
probbably  got  an  awful  homely  profeel." 


163 


Same  Date,  12  o'clock  midnight. 

I  GOT  to  write  this  down  right  now  on  account 
of  it  being  so  rair  and  exciting.  Along  about 
nine  O'Clock  when  Me  and  Ed  was  asetting 
here  nice  and  peicefull  him  areading  out  loud  to 
me  and  me  asewing  there  came  a  faint  and  tim- 
mid  gnock  at  the  door  which,  when  opened, 
there  stood  a  great  big  fat  woman  closely 
shrowded  in  a  thick  grean  vail  that  said  "  sh ! 
sh !  sh !  "  as  soon  as  Ed  took  a  small  kerosene 
lamp,  and  opened  it. 

"  What  for?  "  says  he.  "  What 's  up?  And 
who  are  you?"  aputting  the  lamp  close  to  the 
woman's  face  but  not  revealing  her  feachers 
on  account  of  the  thickness  of  her  vail. 

"  There  aint  nothin  partickler  up  as  I  know 

of,"  come  the  ancer  in  a  holler  whisper  through 

the    grean    vail,    and    looking    fearfully    all 

around,  "  but  I  'm  Poly  Blittery  and  I  want  to 

164 


There  stood  a  great  big  fat  woman  closely  shrowded  in  a 
thick  green  vail  that  said  "  sh  !  sh  !  sh  ! " 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

come  in  and  talk  over  something  awfully  im- 
portunate with  VOH." 

We  was  tickled  enough  to  see  him  and  die 
alaughing  I  thought  we  should  at  his  comickle 
appearance.  But  he  was  very  grave  and  sober 
for  him  and  said  he  'd  got  to  get  down  to  bussi- 
ness  as  soon  as  posserble. 

Of  course  we  thought  he  was  in  a  scraip  of 
some  discripshen  and  Ed  asked  him,  soon  as  he 
could  speak  from  laughing,  what  he  'd  been  up 
to  now  and  if  the  Sherrif  was  after  him. 

"  Sherrif!  "  says  Poly  ;  "  who  cares  anything 
about  Sherrif s!  Ain't  I  been  brought  up  on 
em !  It  's  Loretty  Maria  I  'm  abiding  from. 
O,  folks !  don't  let  her  know  I  Ve  come  back ! 
I  'm  agoing  to  leave  to-morrer  again.  But  I 
got  to  talk  this  matter  over  with  you  before  I 
go.  It 's  very  importunate.  It  conserns,  maybe 
hundreds  of  feller-creachers." 

"  And  does  its  influence  extend  into  the  Fish 
World  also?  "  inquired  Ed.  "  It  would  be  in- 
teresting to  know  that." 

Then  Ed  made  motions  for  me  not  to  rea- 
165 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

leave  Poly's  fears  quite  yet  because  he  kind 
of  enjoyed  the  looks  of  gennuwine  distress  that 
was  fraimed  in  the  flower-trimmed  bunnet.  But 
I  could  n't  help  giving  him  the  joyful  news. 
"  Poly,"  I  says,  "  you  aint  got  nothing  more  to 
fear  from  Loretty  Maria.  Cappen  Joe  Silliker 
married  her  a  cupple  o'  weeks  ago  and  has  gone 
on  a  wedding-jerney  into  troppicle  climbs." 

Poly's  mouth  fell  open. 

"And  did  she  go  with  him?"  he  asked, 
unable  to  take  in  at  first  that  the  dreaded 
lady  was  ackchelly  somewheres  else  besides 
Chictooset. 

"  Yes,"  says  Ed,  "  seeing  that  was  what  she 
married  him  for  she  went  with  him." 

I  wish  I  could  draw  pictures  and  show 
exackly  what  antics  Poly  went  through  when 
at  last  he  was  convincitated  that  our  words 
was  true.  Off  come  the  woman's  skirt  and 
was  hove  to  one  side.  The  bunnet  and  vail 
flew  the  other  and  you  never  saw  any  boy 
cut  up  sech  didows  all  over  our  setting-room 
as  that  man  weighing  most  300  and  tall  in 
166 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

proportion.  It  was  his  way  of  giveing  free 
vent  to  the  joy  that  posessed  his  soul. 

"  Free ! "  he  cried  in  a  toan  of  rapcher, 
"  free  at  last!  Three  chears  for  Cappen  Joe!  " 
and  then  he  'd  cut  up  another  caper  till  I  thoght 
the  floar  'd  go  through,  and  Ed  aholding  on 
to  his  sides  fit  to  split.  Ed's  own  sides,  of 
course  I  mean. 

Soon  as  he  had  carmed  down  a  little  and 
was  eating  the  lunch  I  set  out  for  him  (it 
was  what  I  had  planed  for  to-morrer's  dinner 
but  he  was  more  than  wellcome  to  it)  we 
corngratoolated  him  on  hrs  wondarful  forchune 
that  was  so  far  beyond  the  dreams  of  the 
averidge. 

With  that  he  sobered  right  down  and  says, 
"  That 's  what  I  'm  here  for.  Its  for  that  I  Ve 
risked  my  libberty  and  persoot  of  happyness  to- 
night. I  aint  had  no  piece  of  mind  (except 
other  folks's  minds)  since  I  got  it.  I  'm  so 
bothered  here  there  and  everywhere  by  advice 
and  solicitations  that  I  can't  stand  it  another 
minnet,  and  Jen  there  is  the  only  person  in  all 
167 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

creation  that  '11  understand  my  plan  to  invest 
it  and  insidentaly  to  bennerfit  her  feller- 
creachers  at  the  same  time.  Now  Jennie,"  he 
says  in  a  toan  of  pleading,  "  I  can  count  on 
you  can't  I?  " 

"Yes,  Poly,"  I  says,  "you  can." 

He  grabbed  aholt  of  my  hand  and  I  guess 
probbly  I  aint  ever  got  sech  a  look  of  ardent 
grattitood  as  what  he  give  me. 

Then  he  unfolded  his  Plan.  One  way  you 
look  at  it  it  aint  maybe  a  very  wise  Plan. 
Seeing  it  was  a  very  Poly-Blitterish  Plan  it 
could  n't  well  be  that.  But  it  was  an  awfull 
gennerus  and  whole-hearted  Plan  and  seeing 
he  was  asking  for  help  and  not  for  approovel 
it  ended  in  me  and  Ed  undertaking  together 
the  work  he  'd  laid  out  for  us. 

Then  he  made  us  register  a  vow  that  we 
would  n't  divulgitate  it  to  a  living  soul,  not 
even  to  my  folks.  "  But  how  you  're  ever 
agoing  to  keep  it  from  that  Sis  of  yours  gets 
me.  There  never  was  sech  sharp  eyes  and 
ears  put  on  to  a  youngone's  head  before. 

168 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Why,  I  'm  ackchelly  scairt  of  her.  I  surely 
am,  when  I  'm  telling  a  story.  If  I  hapen  to 
be  a  little  might  careless  and  aint  percicely 
accooret  about  some  small  detale  she  's  sure 
to  hall  me  up  on  it.  Why,"  he  says,  "  last 
time  I  was  here  and  was  narrating  something 
about  my  wanderings  and  life  generelly  to  en- 
tertain her  little  brothers  (God  bless  'em!) 
and  hove  in  a  few  dates  and  lengths  of  time 
I  was  in  certen  places  off  hand,  knowing  they 
did  n't  notice  sech  trifels  as  that,  she  says  when 
I  got  throgh  in  that  little  precice  way  she  's 
got,  '  Mr.  Blittery,'  (squeaking  and  imitating 
her  voice)  'the  way  I  figger  it  out,  you  are 
112  years  old.  I  have  took  down  your  figgers 
very  carefully' — (so  many  years  old  when 
I  'd  left  Chictooset  —  so  many  years  in  Calli- 
fornia  —  so  many  years  in  the  spannish  war 
ect,  drat  her!)  '  and  that  is  what  it  adds  up  to 
on  this  peice  o'  paper.'  And  with  a  look  of 
self-sattisfaction  on  her  little  face  she  held  it 
out  for  me  to  see.  I  want  agoing  to  look  at 
it  any  way  but  I  did  n't  get  the  chance.  Up 
169 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

jumped  Bubby  and  gragged  it  and  hove  it  into 
the  fire.  '  O  Mr.  Blittery!  '  he  says  (dear  con- 
fiding little  feller!)  'Tell  us  quick!  Which 
one  of  the  cannable's  little  boys  got  the  wish- 
bone of  the  missionery  after  all?  " 

"  Sis  had  ought  to  know,"  says  Ed,  "  that 
even  truth  itself  lies  sometimes." 

"Where?"  I  says. 

"  At  the  bottom  of  a  well." 

"  She  makes  me  think  of  what  the  poet 
Burns  says  about  '  there  's  one  beside  you  tak- 
ing notes,'  says  Poly.  "  But  I  doubt  if  Burns 
ever  had  a  contemperrery  that  took  notes  ekel 
to  that  young  one." 

"  I  guess,"  I  says  trying  to  change  the  sub- 
ject not  wanting  to  hear  him  deprecate  our 
Sis,  "  I  guess  they  did  n't  have  contemperries 
in  Burns's  time.  Type-writers  wan't  invented 
and  I  guess  the  poets  had  to  write  everything 
for  themselves." 

He  got  good-natured  then  because  I  got  his 
mind  off  Sis  and  smiled  real  plessant  as  he 
recieved  our  promise  we  'd  keep  his  secret  faith- 
170 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

ful.  We  talked  for  3  steady  hours  maturita- 
ting  his  plan.  And  at  last  he  went  skiping 
gayly  off,  the  women's  close  (forgotten  till  I  'd 
picked  them  up  and  handed  them  to  him) 
atrailing  over  his  arm. 

I  aint  even  agoing  to  write  down  his  plan 
here,  because  I  never  know  when  the  young 
ones  will  get  afoul  of  the  Diary  and  master 
all  its  corntents.  And  I  guess  its  always  jest 
as  well  even  when  you  're  supposed  to  be  apour- 
ing  out  your  whole  heart  to  kind  of  keep  back 
a  private  drop  or  two. 


171 


JUNE  28. 

To-DAY  all  Allen  hearts  was  rejoiced,  chil- 
dren's and  grown-ups  alike,  by  a  vissit  from 
Poly  Blittery.  He  was  fat  and  smileing  and 
contented  as  ever  and  except  for  the  ruther 
striking  resemblences  existing  between  the  2 
shoes  he  wore  his  appearance  was  exackly  as 
it  always  has  been. 

My !   if  we  want  glad  to  see  him  and  him  us ! 

"  But  Poly,"  says  Mame,  "  I  'm  supprized 
you  did  n't  get  yourself  surveyed  first  thing  for 
a  dandy  suit  o'  close." 

"  Yes  Poly!  "  says  Mandy,  her  face  full  of 
disapointment  and  a  shag  grin,  "  Why  aint  you 
got  a  nice  big  pladd  suit  for  yourself  soon  as 
you  Ve  got  the  means  ?  I  must  say  I  Ve  al- 
ways wanted  to  see  you  in  sech  a  one  on  ac- 
count of  you  being  big  enough  to  show  the 
pattern  compleat.  Now  there  's  Lyddy  Rogers 
that  aint.  She  picked  out  a  big  pladd  for  her- 

172 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

self  once  and  the  peices  compositing  the  waste 
and  the  skirt  was  so  narrer  they  was  differant 
parts  of  the  pattern  so  they  did  n't  appear  to 
be  often  the  same  goods." 

Mame  laughed.  "  I  guess  I  recolleck  that, 
too,"  she  says.  "  In  fack  that  back  comes  to 
me  on  the  most  sollem  occasions  —  same  as 
when  you  're  to  a  funerell  or  in  meeting,  and 
the  worst  was  when  it  come  to  me  once  with 
resounding  force  jest  when  I  was  taking  a  last 
view  of  the  remains.  They  was  red  and  green 
and  blue  and  yeller  (them  colors  was)  and 
each  one  was  give  fair  play  throughout.  But 
in  the  back  was  where  this  imparshallity  was 
fullest  displayed.  '  Lyddy,'  I  says  to  her  once, 
'  next  time  you  get  beyond  yourself  jest  take 
a  look  at  your  back  in  the  pladd  dress.'  It 's 
an  awfull  mistake  what  people  have  so  long 
stuck  to,  that  thin  people  are  most  becoming 
in  pladds.  Folks  always  having  thought  a 
thing  's  so  don't  make  it  so." 

And  Mame  was  right  about  this.  I  know 
an  errer  can  hold  on  like  grim  death  some- 
173 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

times,  where  a  truth  would  have  to  let  go. 
The  pladd  errer  is  sech  a  one. 

Speaking  about.  Liddy  Rogers  being  so  tall 
and  thin  calls  to  mind  about  Doctor  Jameson 
saying  to  her  once  that  she  'd  ought  to  have 
got  married  —  that  the  fine  old  Rogers  stock 
had  n't  ought  to  die  out  and  her  ancesters 
should  have  prodooced  in  her  a  long  line. 

"  So  they  did,"  she  snapped  out,  "  a  ver- 
tickle  one." 

"  It 's  plessant,"  says  Mame,  "  to  find  one 
person  that  wealth  don't  make  any  differant  to 
their  old  friends.  We  kind  of  thought  "  (but 
she  did  n't  really,  she  knew  Poly  too  well  for 
that)  "  we  kind  of  thought  you  'd  snob  up 
after  you  come  into  your  fortoon  and  jest  swell 
round  among  the  Vandal  Bills  and  Asters." 

"  Vandal  Bills  and  Asters!  "  repeated  Poly, 
with  supream  contemp.  "  If  any  of  'em  should 
attempt  to  make  up  to  me,  I  'd  let  'em  know!  " 

"  Let  'em  know  what?  "  says  Sis. 

"  Let  'em  know  that  seeing  their  roots  aint 
intertwined  with  my  roots  down  Chictooset  way 
174 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

it 's  no  use  atrying  to  grow  a  new  freindship 
with  me.  Real  freindship  aint  a  egg-plum  or 
pear  tree  that  can  be  grafted  on.  It  has  got 
to  come  from  your  roots.  And  sech  would  be 
my  ancer,  my  finel  ancer,  should  any  of  them 
swells  you  mention  attemp  any  intimet  or 
freindly  overtures  —  which  they  are  more  than 
likely  not  to  do." 

Then  "  Girls,"  he  says  changing  his  toan  of 
voice  "  Have  you  been  amaking  gingerbread?  " 

You  see  he  smelt  it  and  no  sooner  uttared 
than  a  great  sheet  of  it  fresh  from  the  oven 
was  placed  before  him  by  Mame  and  a  picher 
of  buttermilk.  It  done  us  all  good  to  see  with 
what  gustoe  he  et  and  drunk  as  he  went  on 
talking. 

"  No,"  he  continnered,  "  I  aint  got  any  pres- 
sant  use  for  sech  swell  famblys  as  you  refer 
to  —  as  freinds,  that  is.  And  furthermore  than 
that  I  want  to  know  what  person  it  is  you  're 
atalking  about  as  having  wealth.  I  would  like 
to  ask  you  if  you  was  referring  to  any  person 
pressant." 

175 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

'  We  was  referring,"  says  Mame,  taking  a 
flat  stick  of  wood  and  laying  it  acrost  the 
wood-box  and  setting  down  on  it  (we  're  kind 
of  scarce  on  chairs  the  best  ones  being  sent  to 
the  garret  to  preserve  them)  "  to  a  person 
pressant  that  has  got  75,000$  in  cold  cash  — 
or  did  have  that  amount  a  cupple  o'  weeks 
ago,  and  as  that  person  is  single  "  (here  a 
joyous  look  overspread  Poly's  feachers)  "  and 
no  little  ones  nor  wife  depending  onto  him,  it 's 
safe  to  assoom  he  's  got  it  now." 

"  It 's  safe  enough  to  assoom  it,  as  far  as 
that  goes,"  returned  Poly,  "  but  it  ain't  cor- 
reck  to  assoom  it,  seeing  that  I  'm  in  a  posi- 
tion to  know  that  person  aint  got  a  dollar  to 
their  name." 

The  others  was  all  struck  speachless  at  that. 
Then  Mame  burst  out,  "  Poly  Blittery,  dont 
tell  me  some  miscrint  has  gouged  it  all  out  of 
you !  O  Poly !  aint  you  got  nothing  after  all 
for  your  old  age?" 

"  Old  age  fiddlesticks,"  remarked  Poly  and 
I  don't  know  but  what  he  was  right.  "  Old 
176 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

age,"  he  went  on,  "  aint  nothing  when  you  get 
to  it.  It  wraps  you  in  a  garment  of  peace  and 
rest  that  aiks  and  worrys  is  imperveous  to. 
Young  folks  pitty  the  old  because  they  can't 
have  and  enjoy  the  things  they  do. 

"  Why,  it 's  jest  like  when  you  're  finishing 
a  hearty  meal  and  you  're  tapering  off  on  a 
little  light  desert  and  somebody  comes  aroister- 
ing  in  late  and  falls  to  good  and  hearty 
on  the  corned  beaf  and  turnups.  You  wonder 
(being  in  your  dinner  old-age,  as  you  might 
say)  how  they  can  eat  sech  sollid  stuff  as  that. 
You  don't  want  it.  You  could  n't  get  it  down 
now  if  you  was  hired  to.  Yet  perhaps  in  the 
full  tide  of  their  enjoyment  they'll  look  acrost 
pittying  at  you  as  you  set  there  with  your  little 
custerd  or  whatever  it  is,  and  pass  remarks. 

"  Yes,"  he  continners  thoughtfully  after  tak- 
ing a  long  drink  of  the  buttermilk  and  wiping 
his  mouth  off  with  his  sleave,  "  pickanicks  and 
good  close  and  tennis  and  traveling  round  is 
life's  main  dinner,  I  guess,  and  tea  and  your 

pipe  and  the  chimbly  corner  are  its  desert." 
1 77 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"What  become  of  all  your  money?"  in- 
quired Sis,  that  all  these  eloquents  were  waisted 
on.  No  hammer  and  tacks  was  ever  more 
practicable  than  that  child. 

"What  become  of  it?  What's  agoing  to 
become  of  it  and  bring  playsure  and  enjoy- 
ment to  them  that  takes  things  in  the  prop- 
per  sperrit?  "  Here  he  paused  before  making 
the  follering  remarkable  staitment :  "  Them 
75,000$  goes  to  erectating  a  Home  for  Tramps 
without  Bath-tubs." 

"  And  it 's  all  done  regglear  enough.  Land 
bought,  papers  signed,  trustees  apointed  —  not 
a  thing  left  undone.  Its  the  fluctuation  of  a 
dream  that  has  long  posessed  me  and  no  sooner 
was  that  money  mine  than  I  made  it  a  reality. 
I  heard  of  a  philanthropess  over  in  Sawdunk 
that  had  been  wanting  to  put  up  a  home  for 
vagrents  for  a  cupple  o'  years  and  was  having 
bean  suppers  and  tableauxs  to  that  end.  I  was 
14  miles  from  Sawdunk  but  I  lost  no  time  in 
seaking  her  out.  It  did  n't  take  me  long  to 
walk  the  distance.  The  weather  was  fine  and 

178 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  coat  I  chanced  to  be  wearing,  the  gift  of 
a  gentleman  farmer  a  few  months  before,  was 
sech  in  it 's  length  as  to  give  me  perfect  free- 
dom in  my  gait.  The  originel  owner  being 
considdable  shorter  than  myself  the  coat  had 
somewhat  the  effeck  of  an  Eton  jacket.  The 
2  waist-line  buttens  coming  as  they  did  in  the 
middle  of  my  spine  and  prodoocing  discomfort 
against  a  chair-back  (though  contack  with  chair- 
backs  is  unusual  with  me)  had  been  promply 
removed.  In  this  way  it  took  on  to  some  de- 
gree the  personality  of  the  pressant  wearer. 

"  I  waited  at  once  upon  the  philanthropess 
and  I  says,  '  Lady,  I  understand  you  wish  to 
erectuate  a  home  for  wandering  vagrents.  I 
wish  to  say  it  is  a  movement  that  has  my  fullest 
simpathy  and  approvel  and  I  will  contribbute 
75,000$  to  this  worthy  objeck  with  only  one 
single  stippleation.' ' 

Poly  paused. 

"What  did  she  say?"  cried  Mame  impa- 
tiently. 

"  As  near  as  I  can  recall  her  remarks  it  was, 
179 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

'My  poor  fellow  I  Yours  is  sech  a  plessant 
form  of  insanity.' 

"  But  I  went  and  got  Eliphalet  Hatch  that 
had  moved  there  from  Chictooset  and  knew  the 
whole  story  of  the  invention  and  the  money 
and  he  idemnifyed  me  to  her.  Then  she  wrote 
to  the  bank  in  Whippisangug  and  found  my 
money  was  there  where  I  'd  disspossited  it. 

"  Whereupon  her  feirceness  to  get  aholt  of 
that  money  knew  no  bounds.  When  she  found 
for  a  fack  that  she  could  get  it  and  her  pet  skeme 
was  to  fructify  at  last  she  was  bound  to  carry 
out  all  her  own  ideas.  I  did  n't  care.  There 
was  only  one  thing  I  was  particklar  about.  But 
one  day  when  her  and  me  and  a  numbar  of 
other  inflooenshal  men  was  atalking  over  some 
of  the  detales  she  says,  "  Now,  Mr.  Blittery, 
(I  wan't  her  poor  feller  any  longer)  Mr.  Blit- 
tery, I  wondar  when  you  begin  to  think  this 
over  if  you  wont  think  it  better  after  all  to 
have  —  " 

"  I  guessed  what  word  was  acoming  out. 
And  I  registered  a  mental  vow  that  if  she 
1 80 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

spoke  that  word  me  and  her  would  part  for- 
ever. I  had  axceeded  to  her  every  wish  and 
plan  but  worms  do  all  that  and  turn  at  last. 
She  spoke  that  fatel  word.  She  uttared  '  Bath- 
room '  loud  and  clear. 

"  I  riz  up.  I  took  my  hand  and  held  out  my 
cap.  '  Lady,'  I  says,  trying  not  to  put  too 
much  reproach  into  my  toan  of  voice,  '  Lady, 
you  have  tryed  me  too  far.  I  made  but  one 
stippleation  but  it  was  a  stippleation  very  near 
to  my  heart.  You  have  strove  to  remove  that. 
I  bid  you  farewell,'  and  I  was  gone.  That 
philanthropess  will  in  all  probbability  never 
see  or  hear  me  again.  A  golden  oportunity 
had  fell  upon  her  devoted  head  but  it  never 
gnocks  twice  on  the  same  place.  She  will  live 
to  realize  this." 

"  And  so  you  give  it  all  up?  "  inquired  Jim. 
"  Some  folks  might  say  that  looked  as  if  you 
did  n't  have  no  sech  intentions  to  begin  with." 

"  Listen.  Seaking  the  solitood  of  a  distant 
hay-mow  for  the  night  I  roominated  on  all 
that  had  passed.  Then  a  thoght  like  a  thundar- 
181 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

bolt  took  posession  of  me.  Renounce  my  cher- 
rished  plan  I  would  not.  I  can't  understand 
why  that  thoght  had  n't  come  to  me  long  be- 
fore. Why  had  I  sought  among  strangers  a 
philanthropess  to  carry  out  my  skeme  when 
down  in  old  Chictooset  was  the  sweetest  and 
kindest  and  wisest  little  woman  God  ever 
made,  and  a  naturel-born  philanthropess  into 
the  bargen?  " 

(this  was  some  of  his  foolishness  but  I  write 
it  down  exackly  as  he  said  it.)  "  She  '11  give 
me  her  full  simpathy  and  counsell  and  her 
clever  little  head  and  hands  will  accomplish  all 
that  I  have  dreamed.  She  '11  never  stop  to 
think  what  she  'd  like  if  she  went  atramping 
(dear  little  home-bird  that  ain't  hardly  been 
out  of  its  nest)  but  she  '11  take  my  word  for 
it  what 's  fancyed  by  them  that 's  tramped  their 
lives  through.  Furthermore  than  that,  this  little 
woman  that 's  never  thought  of  herself  at  all, 
has  got  married  right  in  the  nick  o'  time  (for 
my  purpose,  I  mean)  to  a  first-class,  wide-awake 
bussiness  man.  The  combination  (forme)  was 
182 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

perfeck.  I  looked  up  through  the  apertoors 
of  the  roof  at  the  stars  above  me  and  I  regis- 
tered a  vow  to  seek  them  out  at  all  risks  and 
ask  their  aid." 

"  And  why  did  n't  you?  "  says  Sis. 

"  Why  did  n't  I  ?  Because  I  did  and  my  one 
boast  in  the  whole  mattar  is  that  one  partickler 
person  of  immattor  age  but  joined  on  to  the 
most  piercing  eyes  and  ears  in  creation  and  her 
name  spelling  backrard  and  forrard  the  same, 
never  got  wind  of  it  till  I  thoght  proppar." 

Without  noticing  Sis's  look  of  amazement 
he  went  on: 

"  In  the  silance  of  the  night  I  came  disguised 
to  this  dwelling.  I  had  strong  reasons  for  be- 
lieving that  my  liberty  and  pursoot  of  happy- 
ness  was  in  Jeppardy.  This  little  woman," 
amotioning  towards  me,  "  releaved  my  fears 
on  this  point.  I  hove  aside  my  disguisement 
and  talked  bussiness  with  my  freinds."  After 
a  pause  he  added  "  That 's  all  excep  that  any 
poor  sick  feller,  that  aint  got  any  folks  nor 
home  nor  strenth  to  work  can  have  a  place  to 
183 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

come  in   and  lay  his   aiking  bones  in   a   soft 
warm  bed  and  go  to  sleep. 

"  And  where  there  wont  be  66  questions  for 
him  to  answer  —  no  two  of  'em  alike  —  in  an 
offiss  and  no  coffin-box  full  o'  water  that  he  's 
got  to  cramp  himself  up  in. 

"And  the  matron  (or  patron)  is  agoing  to 
get  imposed  upon  often  enough.  We  're  ex- 
pecting that,  and  I  'd  ruther  be  imposed  on  a 
dozen  times  than  let  one  poor  sensitive  feller 
go  ashrinking  and  acreaping  by  with  only  a 
wishful  look  inside  because  he  dreads  either 
the  Questions  or  the  Bath-tub." 

"  Poly  Blittery,"  says  Mame,  her  eyes 
astreaming  with  tears  as  she  set  the  other 
sheat  of  gingerbread  down  before  him,  "  Poly 
Blittery,  you  're  a  big  foolish  ridicklous  great- 
hearted saint!  " 

"  Saint  nothing!  "  says  Poly.  "  Here  's  the 
saints,"  —  pointing  to  Ed  and  me  —  "  that 's 
having  all  the  work  and  bother.  That  inven- 
tion was  the  work  of  an  idle  hour  and  the 
money  was  ackchelly  foarced  onto  me." 
184 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

He  stretched  himself  and  drawed  a  long 
breath  of  releaf.  "  Thank  Heaven  I  'm  done 
with  it  all,"  he  says.  "  Got  a  little  tobacker 
you  want  to  give  away,  Ed?  " 

Thei.  "  Gee !  aint  it  mortal  lonesome  with- 
out Jim!  " 

The  Home  is  agoing  to  be  a  splendid  one. 
It  '11  be  in  Sawdunk,  the  nearest  citty,  seeing 
no  sech  place  is  needed  in  Chictooset.  Sech 
sunnyness !  sech  homeyness !  sech  comfort  as 
there  '11  be  1  We  can't  hardly  wait  till  it 's 
done. 

It 's  near  the  river,  too,  and  tramps  being 
kind  of  amphibeous,  as  you  might  say,  Poly's 
stippleation  wont  have  sech  a  very  bad  effeck. 
Besides  that  there  's  a  movement  on  foot  to 
introduce  foot-tubs  and  make  them  opshenal. 

When  I  proposed  this  Poly  looked  quick 
and  suspitious  at  me.  "  This  ain't  a  entering 
Wedge,  is  it,  Jen?  " 

"  Poly,"    I    says,   looking   straight    into   his 
eyes,  "aint  you  trusting  me?"     And  he  says 
alooking  jest  as  straight  into  mine,  "  I  be." 
185 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Later. 

I  have  conclooded  I  won't  put  nothing  at 
all  in  the  Diary  about  the  Vagrent's  Uome 
because  there  's  so  much  to  it  it  woulc1  crowd 
out  everything  else.  And  furthermore  than 
that  Ed  is  agoing  to  keep  an  exack  record  of 
everything  that  transpires  about  it. 

But  the  work  is  agoing  on  beautifull.  To 
be  sure  there  's  hitches  but  we  Ve  prepared  our 
minds  for  so  many  that  these  don't  worry  us. 

Won't  we  all  be  proud  and  happy  of  the 
finished  produck. 


1 86 


CHICOOSET,  Sunday  June  3Oth. 

WE  're  agoing  home  to-morrer. 

Kind  of  a  sad  time  this  morning  in  spite  of 
the  robbins  singing  so  pretty  and  happy  among 
the  trees  on  account  of  them  all  clustering 
round  us  after  meeting  to  bid  us  good  by  and 
give  us  cooking  reciepts  ect.  that  they  'd  been 
promising  us.  Parson  Wadkins  had  allooded 
about  us  going  away  in  a  fealing  manner  in 
his  sermon  and  as  if  that  was  n't  enough  what 
did  old  Deacon  Atticks  jest  before  Sabbath 
school  and  when  nobody  had  n't  sech  an  idee 
in  their  head  do  but  rise  up  and  make  a  speach 
to  the  effeck  that  no  odds  where  this  fambly 
went  (not  naming  no  names)  that  had  partook 
of  all  Chictooset's  joys  and  sorrers  to  the  ex- 
cess that  this  fambly  had  partook  of  them  for 
a  cupple  o'  months  in  the  recent  past  and  whole 
generations  in  a  more  remoater  past,  that  this 
fambly  (still  naming  no  names  but  all  pres- 
187 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

sant  being  corgnizant  who  he  meant)  might 
go  to  the  uttarmost  and  furtherest  ends  of  the 
earth  "  yet  still,"  he  says,  verry  sollem  and  ear- 
nest, "  be  one  of  us  as  you  might  say,  be  "  (and 
here  his  voice  was  raised  a  trifle  higher  and 
no  one  minded  if  it  did  squeek  and  crack  to  a 
serten  extent  seeing  the  Deacon  is  held  in  sech 
great  respect  in  the  commoonity)  "  of  our  bone 
and  sinnew,  striking  responcible  echos  in  every 
Chictooset  breast. 

"  You  may  break,"  he  concluded  in  a  deap 
toan  of  voice,  "  you  may  shattar  the  vace  if 
you  will,  the  scent  of  the  roses  will  linger 
there  still." 

It  was  a  lovely  speach  and  I  think  it  was 
jest  beautifull  him  compairing  us  to  roses  and 
the  old  homestead  to  a  vace.  Nachelly  enough 
it  made  us  all  cry  a  little  but  I  must  say  I  was 
supprised  to  see  how  deap  Ed  was  affected  by 
them  words.  Poor  feller.  He  buryed  his  face 
in  his  hands  and  shook  and  shook.  My  hus- 
band has  got  an  awful  tendar  heart  and  no 
mistake. 

188 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Yes,  we  feal  bad  enough  about  leaving  but 
then  there  's  Jim  all  alone  off  there  in  Provi- 
dence that  we  're  jest  about  crazy  to  see  and 
him  us.  It  '11  be  like  that  I  expeck,  when 
we  're  called  to  Heaven.  This  world  is  so 
beautifull  and  full  of  love  and  joy  that  I  guess 
we  would  n't  ever  be  willing  to  leave  it  if  it 
want  for  them  that 's  awaiting  and  alonging 
for  us  there. 

So  good-by,  dear  old  Chictooset,  from  us  all. 


189 


PROVIDENCE,  July  3. 

ANOTHER  beautifull  trip  in  the  Frederick  Mor- 
rison. Mame  drew  the  state-room  this  time. 
Seeing  we  was  now  sech  experianced  travellers 
we  got  the  full  enjoyment  of  every  particklar. 

Thick  and  rainy.  Sis  says  to-day,  "  The  sun 
ain't  shone  once  since  we  got  home." 

"  I  ain't  noticed  that,"  says  happy  Jim. 


190 


PROVIDENCE,  July  22. 

WE  are  now  in  our  own  home  —  Ed  and  me 
—  in  our  own  home. 

I  have  jest  read  over  these  four  words  and 
been  awondering  if  any  other  four  words  mean 
so  much. 

But  Jim  says  —  and  he  says  it  abeaming  all 
over  with  satisfaction  —  that  there  aint  reely 
any  new  home  at  all  as  he  looks  at  it  but  a 
kind  of  a  spreading  out  of  the  old  one.  We 
was  lucky  enough  to  get  the  tenement  in  the 
other  side. of  his  house  which  was  always  un- 
poplar  on  account  of  being  at  the  very  end 
of  the  court  and  the  furtherest  away  from  the 
cars  in  storms  and  slippery  weather  —  "last 
and  not  leased,"  as  Ed  says.  The  landlord 
has  had  a  door  cut  through  into  Jim's  side  and 
I  guess  there  aint  a  doorway  anywheres  else 
in  private  life  that  is  used  so  much  and  so 
continuous  as  that  door  is.  In  fack,  sech  is 
191 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  vaigness  of  boundary  line  between  the  two 
households  that  little  David,  Jim's  baby,  don't 
know  nothing  about  it  and  toddles  round  be- 
tween the  two  as  the  fancy  seazes  him,  and 
running  to  me  for  refuge,  same  as  he  always 
has,  when  his  mother  tries  to  wash  his  face 
and  hands. 

We  have  got  a  lovely  home  and  if  it  melts 
off  into  another  one  instead  of  ending  with 
out-doors  and  strangers  it  is  all  the  lovelier 
still.  But  we  don't  want  it  to  stop  off  too  dis- 
tinck  anywheres  but  to  be  nothing  more  than 
a  nucleuss,  as  you  might  say,  of  a  light  that 
shines  all  around  so  that  a  good  many  will  get 
some  little  benefit  from  us  loving  each  other. 

Yes,  it 's  an  awful  pretty  home  and  we  have 
got  everything  in  it  that  heart  can  wish  for  — 
no,  not  that,  for  when  there  's  nothing  left  for 
heart  to  wish  for  the  joy  of  life  is  gone.  I  Ve 
seen  a  mottow  that  says  "T  is  not  the  worst 
when  we  can  say  this  is  the  worst,"  and  I 
guess  it 's  jest  as  true  that  it  ain't  the  best 
when  we  can  say  this  is  the  best. 
192 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

If  you  know  you  are  going  to  have  some- 
thing nice  there  aint  much  difference  between 
that  and  ackchelly  having  it  if  your  faith  and 
imagination  is  in  decent  working  order.  Now 
there  's  our  red  stuffed  easy-chair  that 's  agoing 
to  be  in  the  corner  of  our  setting-room  when 
we  get  able  and  that  easy-chair  has  got  so  reel 
to  us  while  we  Ve  been  planning  about  it  that 
Ed  says  it 's  his  constant  prayer  that  he  wont 
forget  and  try  to  set  down  in  it  before  it 's 
ackchelly  there.  We  have  paid  cash  down  for 
everything  and  that  is  always  going  to  be  our 
rule.  We  had  the  most  beautiful  time  agoing 
round  and  picking  out  the  things  that  was  best 
and  prettyest  for  the  money,  aided  by  Mame 
who  has  got  awful  good  jedgment  and  shrewd 
at  a  bargain.  She  says  I  don't  know  no  more 
about  bargains  than  the  angel  Gabriel  but  I  'm 
alearning.  I  aint  agoing  to  waste  any  of  Ed's 
money.  He  works  too  hard  for  it.  He  could 
help  me  out  lots  of  time  afiguring  on  the  gro- 
cery bills  but  I  don't  like  to  pester  him  about 
them  little  things.  I  think  a  fambly  had  ought 
«J  193 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

to  be  like  a  watch,  the  man  for  the  hour  hand 
and  the  wife  the  minute  hand. 

Once  jest  before  we  was  married  when  me 
and  Mame  was  down  town  atending  to  the 
picking  out  Ed  came  into  our  house  and  Jim 
asked  him  what  he  'd  like  for  a  wedding-present 
from  him  and  Mame.  He  says,  "  Aint  you 
heard  Jen  express  any  wish?" 

"  No,  I  aint,"  he  says,  "  but  want  me  to  tell 
you  what  I  guess  we  'd  like  better  'n  anything 
else  in  the  world?  " 

"  Sure.  Aint  that  what  I  'm  atrying  to  get 
at?" 

'  Well,  it 's  Jen's  little  sewing-chair  there 
that  she  's  alwers  set  in  and  where  I  done  my 
courting.  Can  we  have  that?" 

Ed  told  me  about  it  afterwards.  He  said 
Jim  looked  awfull  sober  at  the  little  chair, 
then  he  looked  away. 

"  Why,"  he  says  at  last  kind  of  slow,   "  I 

spose   you  can  have  it   if  you   feel  like  that 

about  it,  but  "  —  and  he  looked  again  towards 

it  as  if  he  was  atrying  to  think  how  the  cor- 

194 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

ner  would  look  if  it  was  n't  there,  (you  see 
anybody  's  bound  to  be  missed  more  or  less 
that 's  stayed  to  home  as  steddy  as  I  did)  "  we 
been  thinking  there  'd  be  lots  of  times  after  she 
was  marryed  that  she  'd  ockipy  it  same  as  she 
does  now." 

Ed  says  it  had  n't  ever  come  over  him  be- 
fore (over  Ed,  I  mean)  what  it  meant  to  Jim 
and  all  the  rest  to  have  me  go  away  even  only 
on  the  other  side  of  the  wall  and  it  made  him 
feel  like  a  theaf  in  the  night. 

"  You  're  right,  Jim,"  he  says,  "  and  come 
to  think  of  it  she  '11  probbly  want  it  kep  jest 
where  it  is  now.  But,"  he  says,  "  I  know  of 
a  solemn  oak  centre  table  that  she  's  jest  about 
crazy  over.  When  we  Ve  been  in  Plunkett's 
together  I  Ve  seen  her  ahanging  round  and 
admiring  it  when  she  did  n't  know  I  was  alook- 
ing.  That  was  one  of  the  times  when  I  wished 
we  had  a  little  dite  more  to  spend." 

Of  course  we  Ve  got  the  table  and  it 's  a 
beauty.  Mandy  give  us  the  angle  lamp  that 
hangs  up  over  it.  She  picked  it  out  herself 
195 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

and  I  think  it  shows  an  onusuel  amount  of 
sense  for  Mandy.  She  is  awfull  proud  of  it. 
She  says  her  first  thought  was  a  parrot,  think- 
ing it  would  be  company  for  me  when  Ed  was 
off  on  his  trips  and  kind  of  take  his  place. 
Then  it  came  over  her  that  more  often  than 
not  parrots  swore  and  it  would  be  a  bad  ex- 
ample for  the  little  boys. 

"  Yes,  I  'm  glad  you  changed  your  mind, 
Mandy,"  says  Mame  when  she  was  here  with 
her  sewing  one  evening  and  we  was  talking  it 
over.  "  There  's  lots  to  be  said  in  faver  of 
parrots  but  you  know  how  we  all  feel  about 
dumb  animals  "  (as  if  any  parrot  was  that) 
"  and  you  know  Jennie  would  alwers  be  let- 
ting him  out  of  the  cage  and  every  chance  he 
got  he  'd  be  flying  out  of  the  winder.  And 
what  kind  of  a  figger  would  he  cut  aswooping 
into  the  neighbors  and  aflopping  round?  " 

"  A  Polly  gone,"  says  Ed. 

Well,  I  was  agoing  to  say  that  angle  lamp 
was  exackly  what  we  needed.  When  Ed  was 
aputting  it  up  with  Jim's  help  he  says  to  me, 
196 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  It 's  like  our  love,  Jennie.  It  don't  cast  no 
under  shadow." 

Some  loves  do,  I  'm  afraid. 

Dear  little  Gussy  give  us  the  most  precious 
possession  he  had  —  his  baby  rabbit.  It  looked 
kind  of  funny  in  the  list  of  gifts  in  the  Chic- 
tooset  Arrow,  "Master  Augustus  Allen,  a  young 
rabbit,"  but  I  would  n't  have  it  left  out. 

Most  all  of  our  wedding  gifs  was  usefull 
ones,  but  each  one  is  a  thing  of  beauty  jest 
the  same,  even  to  the  big  blue  wash-tub  that 
was  give  to  us  by  Mrs.  Hennersey  along  with 
the  red  table-cloth.  Ellen  said  I  could  put  the 
table  cloth  with  the  other  pretty  things  to  show 
to  folks  but  her  mother  was  so  bent  on  the  wash- 
tub  besides  that  she  did  n't  have  the  heart  to 
discurrage  her.  "  It 's  a  wash-tub  she  '11  have  to 
be  having  anny  way,"  she  says,  "  and  manny  's 
the  toime  she  '11  be  using  it  from  first  to  last, 
and  if  there  's  the  thought  of  a  frind  in  it 
maybe  it  '11  lighten  her  work  a  bit." 

"  Thin  good-by  to  you,"  she  says  when  we 
was  all  aleaving  for  here.  "  Good-by  to  you 
197 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

and  good  luck.  There  's  a  special  blessing  I  'm 
praying  you  '11  have,  Jennie  darlin',  and  I  'm 
asking  for  it  all  the  time." 

"  And  I  '11  pray  for  it  with  Mother,"  put  in 
Ellen,  "  and  I  '11  pray  you  '11  be  getting  it  very 
soon." 

"  Oh,  stop  that,  girl,"  cries  her  mother  in 
great  alarm.  "  Stop  that.  Sure  it 's  the  grace 
of  a  happy  death  I  'm  asking  for  her." 

Heaven  looks  to  us  all,  I  expeck,  much  as 
the  sollid  earth  does  to  somebody  that 's  been 
persuaded  to  go  up  in  a  balloon  —  an  awfull 
plessant  place  to  be  but  one  we  don't  want  to 
get  to  too  quick. 

Speaking  of  the  tub,  I  think  it  depends  on 
your  soul's  eyes  whether  anything  appears 
groce  or  fine. 

A  city  woman  I  know  of  that  had  kep 
boarders  for  years  and  had  got  all  wore  out 
broke  down  very  sudden  and  the  doctor  said 
she  'd  have  to  go  off  into  the  country  for  a 
compleat  rest.  So  she  went  to  Chictooset.  At 
first  she  could  n't  rest,  though  she  knew  the 
198 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

importance  of  it  and  tryed  to  do  so  with  all 
her  might  and  mane.  She  was  told  to  jest 
set  and  look  at  the  cows  and  sheep  that  was 
afeeding  in  the  fields  and  take  example  from 
their  peacefull  behavior.  But  she  said  it  was 
a  long  time  before  she  could  make  them  look 
any  different  from  what  they  did  in  the  reciept 
book  —  like  this: 


'//> 


199 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Now  to  Sime  Peters  that  owned  them  there 
ain't  any  doubt  they  looked  like  this: 


And  to  an  artist  that  came  along  and  put  them 
in  a  picture  most  probbly  they  looked  like  daubs 
of  brown  paint.  Anyway  that 's  what  they  was 
in  the  picture. 

But  when  that  woman  begun  to  rest  up  and 
the  cows  with  all  their  pet  ce  had  sunk  into  her 
soul  she  saw  them  as  they  was,  and  she  even 
got  fond  of  a  little  calf  that  belonged  to  the 
man  of  the  house  that  would  eat  out  of  her 
hand.  So  much  so  that  when  that  calf  was 
killed  and  brought  on  the  table  as  veal  she 
200 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

bust  right  out  acrying  and  had  to  leave  the 
table.  They  all  said  how  nervous  it  still 
showed  she  was.  But  to  my  mind  it  showed 
she  was  better.  Her  soul's  eyes  was  aclear- 
ing.  And  I  don't  wonder  at  the  way  she  felt. 
I  don't  think  I  could  ever  eat  an  animal  I  had 
known  personally. 

I  Ve  heard  about  a  little  boy  that  said  that 
wash  day  comes  the  nex  day  after  Sunday  be- 
caues  cleanliness  is  nex  to  godlyness.  And 
when  I  get  up  early  Monday  morning  fresh 
from  my  Sabbath  rest,  and,  as  Ed  says,  set 
about  the  weekly  purification  of  the  fambly 
vestments,  I  can  make  it  seem  almost  like  a 
religious  right.  And  if  the  kind  giver  of  the 
big  blue  wash-tub  with  its  clean  white  paint 
inside  had  had  it  ackchelly  "  blessed "  it 
could  n't  seem  more  to  me  like  the  sacred 
vessels  inside  the  temple  at  Jerusalem. 

The  dining-room  aint  been  papered  yet  excep 

with  imaginary  paper  of  a  buff  ground   and 

green  and  perple  grapes  and  the  paste  being 

imaginary  too,  it  dont  stick  on  very  well  yet  so 

201 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

I  'm  glad  the  table,  that  we  alwers  keep  set, 
gives  so  much  bright  color.  The  red  of  the 
cloth  looks  jest  lovely  through  the  thin  white 
cloud  of  moskeeter  netting  we  keep  over  it  and 
the  spoons  in  the  spoon-holder  is  all  aglitter 
through  it. 

I  should  be  ashamed  if  anybody  knew  how 
many  times  a  day  I  go  open  the  cubbard  door 
and  look  in  at  all  them  beautiful  dishes  Miss 
Musgrove  give  us.  Ed  says  it 's  going  to  be 
a  strain  to  scurry  round  and  get  vittles  worthy 
of  them.  But  I  know  he  dont  mean  it.  They 
are  too  plain  and  simple  to  give  any  sech  worry 
as  that. 

Of  course  Natalie,  not  coming  in  contack 
before  with  folks  of  jest  ordinerry  means, 
did  n't  think  to  give  anything  useful  and  I  'm 
glad  she  did  n't,  because  it  would  n't  look  like 
her  if  she  did.  If  the  tub  and  the  red  table- 
cloth was  from  her  and  whistling  water-color 
from  Mrs.  Hennersy  they  would  lose  Y*  of 
their  meaning. 

Then  it 's  a  great  help  us  having  so  many 
202 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

things  from  Ed's  old  home,  the  rag  carpet  for 
the  setting-room  that  his  mother  made  herself, 
the  big  varnished  pine  rocking-chair  for  the 
kitchen  with  the  bright  fruit  painted  on  the 
back  and  the  patch-work  cushion,  the  old  clock 
that  was  aticking  away  when  Ed  was  born 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  things  that  make  it 
seem  more  homey  because  they  aint  new.  A 
house  where  everything  looks  like  it  had 
jest  been  brought  from  the  store  is  a  sad 
looking  picture.  You  don't  durst  hardly  to 
settle  down  in  an  easy  staying  posture  for 
fear  the  installment  collector  may  come  in  any 
minute. 

Ed's  mother  is  acoming  day  after  to-morrow 
and  we  '11  be  all  nicely  settled  then.  Her  room 
is  fixed  up  beautifull  for  her.  Everybody  in 
the  fambly  pitched  in  and  helped  get  it  ready 
for  her.  Sis  hemed  the  musling  sash-curtains, 
Bub  and  Gussy  made  the  shelf  for  her  books 
and  nailed  it  up,  Jim  tacked  down  the  straw 
matting,  but  all  baby  David  done  was  to  upset 
a  bottle  of  blacking  on  the  matting.  I  run  to 
203 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

get  a  rag  to  wipe  it  up  best  I  could  but  when 
I  come  back  Sis  grabed  my  arm  and  says, 
"  Don't  touch  it,  Aunt  Jennie.  Don't  you  see 
what  it 's  a  map  of?  " 

"  Maine?"  I  says. 

"  Course  it 's  Maine,"  says  Sis  awful  ex- 
cited. "  Look  at  Cascow  Bay.  Look  at  Pe- 
nobscot  Bay.  Look  how  it  all  comes  up  to  a 
square  point  jest  the  very  way  it  had  ought 
to.  Don't  you  think  Granny  '11  be  tickled  to 
death  to  step  out  on  her  native  state  every 
morning  first  thing?  " 

I  looked  at  Sis's  blackened  fore-finger  and 
I  suspected  it  had  assisted  chance  to  a  con- 
siddable  extent  but  I  done  as  she  beged  me 
and  let  the  map  stay  expecially  as  it  was  in 
front  of  the  bed  where  we  was  agoing  to  put 
one  of  Granny's  home-drawn  mats  anyway.  If 
it  was  close  to  the  wall  it  would  be  different. 
A  mat  close  to  the  wall  would  rouse  suspition 
in  any  chance  visiter.  But  Mame  wan't  agoing 
to  have  the  baby  spoilt  by  him  going  unpun- 
ished. She  'd  borrored  a  step  ladder  to  tack 
204 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

up  the  winder  curtains  with  and  was  atop  of 
it  when  it  happened. 

"  Jennie,  you  tend  to  the  baby,"  she  says, 
her  mouth  full  of  tacks. 

Tending  to  him  meant  slapping  his  hands 
and  I  had  to  do  it  though  its  hard  to  hurt 
them  pretty  hands  and  take  away  for  ever  so 
breafly  the  happiness  out  of  the  baby  face. 
Sis,  seeing  my  reluctuation,  said  I  was  a  Roman 
Aunt. 

"  Much  obliged,"  says  Mame  without  look- 
ing round  but  knowing  by  the  howl  that  fol- 
lered  that  the  onpleasant  duty  was  performed. 

I  dont  know  as  a  woman  can  show  any 
more  conferdence  in  you  than  by  letting  you 
chastize  their  little  child,  knowing  your  stroak 
is  padded  with  love.  I  pitty  anybody  else  that 
would  darst  to  lay  a  hand  on  Baby  even  if 
he  'd  spilt  a  map  of  the  whole  world  and  all 
its  tributerries  on  the  floar. 


205 


PROVIDENCE,  July  24. 

SHE  's  come  and  the  dearest  thing  of  all  we  Ve 
got  from  Ed's  old  home  is  his  mother.  One 
thing  Jim's  house  always  lacked  was  a  grand- 
mother. There  aint  nothing,  to  my  mind,  that 
makes  a  place  so  cozy  and  settled  down  as  a 
nice  old  lady  asetting  round  with  her  knitting 
or  patch-work  smiling  pleasant  —  I  wont  even 
except  a  cat  —  and  when  that  old  lady  is  the 
mother  of  the  man  you  love  I  guess  you  know 
how  I  feel  about  it. 

She  must  have  been  an  awfull  handsome 
woman  in  her  day.  She  's  got  handsome  brown 
eyes  now  that  has  got  a  look  like  Ed's  in  them. 
She  's  tall  and  kind  of  staitly  for  anyone  her 
age  and  her  hair  aint  but  a  very  little  gray. 
She  's  jest  the  opposite  to  Mother  in  her  whole 
appearance  but  inside  she 's  got  a  lot  of 
Mother's  qualitys. 

206 


She's  come  and  the  dearest  thing  of  all  we've  got  from  Ed's  old 
home  is  his  mother 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

When  she  came  in  late  this  afternoon  alean- 
ing  on  Ed's  arm  and  both  walking  very  slow 
I  felt  a  blessing  was  entering  with  her.  My 
heart  was  beating  awfull  fast  but  I  kep  out- 
wardly carm  as  I  went  to  meet  them.  I  shan't 
ever  forget  the  look  that  was  in  them  brown 
eyes  as  they  looked  into  mine  —  they  seemed 
so  full  of  pleading.  I  jest  threw  my  arms 
around  her  neck  and  cryed  and  cryed  and 
cryed.  Ed  did  n't  know  what  to  make  of  me 
but  I  could  only  say,  "  O,  I  did  n't  know  be- 
fore how  much  I  wanted  a  mother." 

Then  because  she  was  tired  after  her  long 
journey  I  would  n't  let  any  of  the  other  fambly 
see  her  to-night  but  I  give  her  a  nice  cup  of 
tea  and  toast  and  helped  her  to  bed  in  the 
pretty  room. 

An  hour  later. 

After  she  'd  dropped  peacefully  off  to  sleep 
I  went  in  again  and  stood  by  the  bed  alooking 
down  at  her  as  she  laid  there  in  her  clean 
white  night  cap. 

207 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"Ed's  mother!"  I  whispered  over  and 
over.  "  Ed's  mother !  that  aint  had  a  home 
for  years  and  years,  that  aint  lived  under  the 
roof  with  her  boy  for  years  and  years  and 
now  she  's  home  with  him  at  last !  " 

"  And  you  Ve  got  the  chance,  Jennie  Spin- 
ney, to  do  this  service  for  the  man  you  love 
—  to  care  for  his  mother  every  day  of  her 
life." 

"How  good  God  is!" 

"  Jennie,"  says  Ed,  when  I  come  back  into 
the  setting-room  calm  and  happy  and  he  'd 
took  me  into  his  arms,  "  I  aint  ever  loved  my 
wife  as  I  love  her  now." 


208 


PROVIDENCE,  August  24. 

ELLEN  CAFFRETTY  has  jest  been  in  and  we 
had  a  lovely  talk  of  over  an  hour.  Her  and 
Dinny  was  married  in  April  before  me  and 
Ed  was  in  May.  That  reminds  me  of  what 
Mrs.  Sawyer  said  when  I  told  her  the  wedding 
was  agoing  to  be  in  May. 

"  O  Jennie  1  "   she   says,   kind  of  horrified, 
"  I  guess  you  forgot  the  old  saying, 

'  Married  in  May, 

You  '11  rue  the  day, 
Both  bride  and  groom 
Will  be  cast  in  gloom.' 

You  '11  have  to  change  the  date,  wont  you?  " 

Ed  had  n't  ever  heard  the  saying  before  and 
the  rhyme  kind  of  took  his  fancy.  He  often 
says  it  over  now  to  the  tune  of  a  cake-walk 
he  learned  of  Ellen  that  he  executes  at  the  same 
time.  "  Married  in  May,"  he  sings  while  he 
14  209 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

waltzes  down  the  lenth  of  the  room,  and 
1  You  '11  rue  the  day,"  he  goes  on  as  he  waltzes 
back  again.  And  when  he  comes  to  the  word 
gloom  he  winds  up  with  a  handspring.  One 
day  when  he  had  went  through  the  performance 
he  says,  "  Aint  that  about  so  Mother?"  and 
she,  abeaming  at  him  over  her  spectacles,  says, 
"  Edward  Joseph,  what  kind  of  capers  is  them 
for  a  married  man?  Jennie  will  think  she  has 
got  a  wild  man  of  Borneo  for  a  husband." 
But  bless  you!  Nothing  delights  her  like  his 
high  sperrits. 

But  to  go  back  to  Ellen.  UO  Jen,"  she 
says  to  me  jest  now,  "  I  'm  so  happy  it  seems 
as  if  it  could  n't  last,  as  if  something  must 
happen  to  put  an  end  to  it  all.  Every  time 
I  kiss  Dinny  good-by  in  the  morning  I  think, 
"  Sposing  it 's  for  the  last  time,"  for  it  may 
be  I  've  had  all  the  joy  that 's  coming  to  me 
and  it  can't  go  on  no  longer.  And  I  don't 
reely  darst  to  look  forrard  to  seeing  him  again 
at  night  for  something  terrible  may  befall 
him  and  me  never  see  him  any  more." 

210 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

And  she  calls  that  happiness.  To  me  it 
seems  the  greatest  mizzery  there  is.  It 's  like 
riding  through  the  woods  in  winter  all  snug 
and  warm  in  your  sleigh  and  seeing  straight 
ahead  a  wolf  with  jaws  wide  open  to  devour 
you.  But  that  is  like  one  of  Ellen's  papal 
bulls  to  say  she  is  so  happy  she  lives  in  miz- 
zery and  dread. 

"  How  can  you  be  so  calm  asetting  there, 
Jennie  Spinney,  when  you  aint  seen  Ed  for  a 
week  "  (he  is  off  on  one  of  his  trips)  "  and 
you  don't  know  as  you  '11  ever  see  him  again? 
You  can't  love  like  I  do  or  you  could  n't 
do  it." 

Not  love  like  she  does!  I  jest  took  Ed's 
old  coat  I  was  amending  and  burying  my  face 
in  it,  whispered  something  awfull  foolish  to 
it  that  I  wouldent  darst  to  say  to  Ed  himself 
if  he  was  here.  I  say  lots  of  things  to  his 
old  clothes  that  I  couldent  say  to  him.  But 
sometimes  I  believe  what  so  many  people  say 
is  true,  that  thoughts  are  things  and  perhaps 
he  absorbs  them  into  him  for  he  often  re- 
marks he  is  happyest  in  his  old  clothes. 
211 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  I  'm  so  happy,"  I  says  aloud  to  Ellen, 
"  that  nothing  can  affect  it.  It 's  like  a  big 
rock  that  things  come  aswashing  and  abang- 
ing  against  and  leaves  it  straight  and  strong 
as  it  was  before.  It 's  a  part  of  me  now  and 
the  biggest  part,  too.  I  could  n't  work  up  a 
worry  even  if  I  thought  it  was  my  duty  to  do 
it  which  I  know  it  aint.  I  Ve  lost  all  realizing 
sense  of  what  sadness  and  fear  is.  I  'm  numb 
to  them." 

Before  she  could  answer  Dinny  come  for  her 
and  the  joy  in  her  pretty  face  was  something 
to  see. 

"O  Dinny,  Dinny!"  she  cried,  and  run 
and  laid  her  head  against  his  chest  like  he 
had  been  rescued  from  some  terrible  desaster 
though  he  'd  foaned  he  'd  be  here  at  half  past 
5  and  it  wanted  6  minutes  to  it  then. 

I  jest  manniged  to  grab  the  greasy  bundle 
of  ham  he  was  aholding  under  his  arm  before 
she  mashed  it  against  her  new  light  jacket. 
And  when  they  went  away  her  eyes  was  shin- 
ing as  she  looked  up  at  him.  And  he  was  as 

212 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

bad  as  her  for  he  sung  out  to  me,  "  Good- 
night, Mis'  Spinney !  call  again.  Ye  're  alwers 
welcome  here !  " 

Ed  plagues  Ellen  about  her  Irish  temperment 
that  don't  know  much  middle  ground  between 
laughter  and  tears.  Her  old  beaux,  Ben  Saw- 
yer, used  to  think  he  hadn't  ought  to  refer 
about  her  being  Irish  when  she  was  round  and 
once  when  they  was  to  Jim's  to  supper  he  says, 
"What  kind  of  potaters  do  you  wish,  Ellen? 
sweet  ones  or  —  or  —  the  other  kind?" 

"  Irish,  of  course,"  says  Ellen,  her  eyes 
adancing. 

"  Potaters  aint  like  girls,"  says  Ed  who  was 
there,  too.  "  They  can't  be  sweet  and  Irish 
both." 

Yes,  they  was  going  to  have  fried  ham  for 
supper  to-night  and  frying  nights  is  alwers  the 
happyest  ones  for  them  because  then  Ellen 
don't  have  to  be  home  before  Dinny  is  same 
as  when  there  's  got  to  be  something  baked 
or  boiled,  so  then  she  can  call  for  him  at  the 
shop  or  have  him  call  here  or  somewheres  else 
213 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

for  her  and  they  can  walk  home  together  (she 
says  her  mother  must  be  a  lady  now  and  not 
work  at  all).  And  she  says  these  walks  home 
are  so  plessant  that  frying  nights  are  agetting 
to  be  more  and  more  frequant. 

Jim  told  Dinny  it  would  be  the  ironing  of 
fate  if  her  excess  of  affection  should  be  the 
ruin  of  his  digestion  for  some  writer  has  said 
that  the  frying-pan  has  killed  more  people 
than  the  sword.  But  Dinny  said,  "  I  don't 
care.  What 's  indigestion  to  a  walk  home  with 
Ellen?  It  aint  to  be  compared  with  it."  And 
Ed  says,  "  He  don't  want  to  die-jest  yet." 

I  do  miss  Ed  to-night  though  I  feel  that  we 
are  always  together  in  sperrit.  Sometimes  I 
try  to  telepath  to  him,  and  though  he  knows 
I  'm  communicating  with  him  he  don't  get  jest 
the  message  I  send.  If  I  telepath  for  him  to 
be  sure  and  take  his  cold  tablets  he  's  more 
than  likely  to  get  it  that  I  want  him  to  go  out 
and  have  a  social  little  game  of  cards  with 
the  boys  jest  to  cherk  him  up  on  account  of 
him  being  so  lonesome  without  me.  But  if  it 
214 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

turns  out  that  this  little  festivity  has  done  him 
more  good  than  the  tablets  what  right  have  I 
got  to  find  fault  with  telepathy?  Didn't  it 
know  more  about  what  was  required  than  me? 

Once  he  brought  me  a  beautiful  pearl  breast- 
pin and  when  he  saw  I  felt  bad  because  he 
was  so  extravagant,  he  says,  "  Why,  I  thought 
you  was  telepathing  for  it.  I  seemed  to  feel 
it  right  through  and  through  me  especially  up 
and  down  my  spinel  collum  and  in  the  re- 
gion of  my  breast-pocket.  Don't  you  want  it, 
dear?  " 

"  I  Ve  wanted  a  pearl  breastpin  all  my  life," 
I  says,  the  tears  starting  to  my  eyes  at  his  love 
and  thought  for  me. 

"  But  you  would  n't  ever  brooch  the  sub- 
jeck,"  he  says,  "  and  now  you  Ve  telepathed 
unconscious." 

It  not  being  more  exact  in  your  messages  I 
can  see  would  be  a  disadvantage  in  some  cases, 
for  it  aint  always  that  you  want  a  messenger 
to  adapt  himself  to  circumstances.  That  is 
what  McFarland  Tortrum,  the  boy  that  lives 
215 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

acrost  the  street  is  always  doing,  when  you 
send  him  on  arrants.  He  comes  back  and  says, 
"  I  did  n't  spose  you  'd  want  the  old  man  to 
know  it  so  I  said  I  'd  come  again  on  account 
of  it  being  kind  of  private,"  when  it  might 
be  your  arrant  affected  the  old  man  most  of 
all  and  he  was  the  best  one  reely  to  send  back 
the  answer. 

"  You  jest  do  as  I  tell  you,"  Mame  often 
says  to  him,  "  and  if  I  ketch  you  adaptuating 
yourself  to  circumstances,  as  you  call  it,  or 
using  your  own  jedgment,  you  '11  see  what  will 
foller." 

That 's  one  good  thing  about  a  clock,  that 
it  don't  adapt  itself  to  circumstances.  How 
unpoplar  a  clock  would  be  that  would  do  that. 
Perhaps  it  makes  it  seem  heavy  and  stupid  and 
sometimes  onfeeling  besides,  not  to  do  it  but 
in  the  long  run  it 's  more  satisfactory.  Spos- 
ing  it  should  say  to  itself  —  I  'm  thinking  now 
of  our  town-clock  down  to  Chictooset  —  spos- 
ing  it  says,  "  I  guess  I  better  not  strike  now 
for  a  couple  of  hours  or  so  on  account  of  old 
216 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

lady  Plunkett  being  so  low  nex  door.  The 
neighbors  would  take  it  very  kind  and  feeling 
of  me." 

But  they  would  n't.  And  it  dont.  And  poor 
old  lady  Plunkett  is  terrible  distressed  by  it 
and  thinks  the  clock  is  inside  of  her  head  on 
account  of  being  kind  of  delirible  and  apolo- 
gizes reel  pretty  to  the  folks  around  her  bed- 
side for  making  sech  a  racket  with  it,  but  cant 
help  it  (so  she  says)  because  her  false  front 
aint  on  to  shut  in  the  sound,  and  finelly  and 
painfully  passes  out  into  the  grate  beyond. 

Is  the  clock  agast  at  what  it  has  done?  And 
does  it  get  rattled  and  confused  and  strike 
when  it  hadnt  ought  to,  or  not  strike  when  it 
had  ought  to  ?  Far  from  it  and  that 's  where 
you  might  say  its  appearant  hardness  comes 
in. 

And  sometimes  when  a  poor  over-worked 
woman  sewing  late  into  the  night  looks  up 
wearily  into  its  face  and  says,  "  I  'd  ought  to 
go  to  bed  seeing  I  'm  all  beat  out  but  I  guess 
I  '11  stay  up  one  more  hour  and  do  the  worst 
217 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

of  the  mending,"  why  don't  it  when  she  aint 
alooking  ram  its  hands  forrard  to  the  nex  hour 
and  give  that  poor  soul  a  little  refreshing 
sleep? 

And  then  sposing  it  would  think  sometimes 
at  12  oclock  at  night  it  wan't  necessary  to  give 
the  whole  12  strokes  seeing  taint  likely  any  one 
is  awake  at  that  hour  and  counting  up  to  see 
if  it  give  good  maysher,  and  so  save  that  much 
strenth  for  another  time. 

I  said  something  like  this  to  McFarland 
once  when  he  'd  made  a  mess  of  things  by  fix- 
ing up  a  message  to  suit  the  case  —  as  he  saw 
it.  Of  course  when  I  was  talking  about  clocks 
I  was  thinking  about  people  and  speaking  in 
a  kind  of  a  parabolic  way. 

He  saw  what  I  meant  quick  enough  and  he 
says,  "  Well  you  Ve  got  a  couple  of  clocks  to 
your  house  named  Bub  and  Gus.  They  blart 
out  whatever  they  Ve  got  to  say,  no  matter 
who  's  round.  Mother  has  learned  me  to  use 
a  little  tackt." 

And  that 's  no  dream,  as  you  might  say. 
218 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Art  Tortrum,  the  boy's  father  (I  expect  his 
name  is  Arthur  but  I  aint  ever  heard  him  called 
anything  but  "Art")  is  always  in  dets  and 
difficultys,  as  the  saying  is.  Its  kind  of  a 
funny  saying  because  it  sounds  as  if  dets  was  n't 
difficultys  —  which  perhaps  they  aint  to  some 
people. 

Well,  when  a  stranger  goes  to  the  Tortrums 
door  and  rings  you  can  jest  about  make  up 
your  mind  it 's  a  dun.  Then  my  heart  aches 
for  Mrs.  Tortrum  who  has  to  keep  Art  out 
of  the  way  and  go  to  the  door  herself.  I  was 
there  once  when  one  of  these  men  came  —  a 
real  nice  soft-spoken  man  —  and  he  says,  "  I 
should  like  to  see  Mr.  Tortrum." 

"  So  should  I,"  says  his  wife,  looking  awfull 
wistful,  "  very  much  indeed." 

"  O,  aint  he  to  home?    Where  is  he?" 

"  I  don't  know  "  —  still  more  wistful  — 
"  and  I  don't  know  when  he  '11  come  back." 

"  Which  was  true,  want  it?  "  she  says  when 
the  man  had  gone  and  Art  come  creeping  out 
of  the  clothes-press;  "  I  did  n't  know  that  was 
219 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

where  you  was  or  jest  how  long  you  could  stay 
in  sech  a  stifling  place." 

But  she  'd  told  a  falsehood  jest  the  same. 
Words  is  like  instruments  give  to  us  to  con- 
vey facks  and  fealings.  She  had  conveyed 
the  wrong  facks  and  it  did  n't  make  no  odds 
how  she  'd  used  her  instruments. 

"But  what  could  she  do?"  Ed  says  when 
I  told  him  about  it  and  he  pertended  to  stand 
up  for  her.  She  was  very  skilfull  in  shealding 
her  husband.  "  Ars  est  celere  artem,"  he  says, 
which  is  in  lattin  and  means  "  it  is  an  art  to 
conceal  Art." 

But  when  folks  has  to  resort  to  a  forrin 
language  you  can  tell  they  're  run  ashore  for 
arguments,  and  I  told  him  so. 


220 


PROVIDENCE,  September  2. 

I  'VE  been  taking  notice  quite  a  spell  that 
Granny's  spectacles  don't  fit  any  better  than 
they  'd  ought  to  and  it 's  time  for  her  to  be 
having  new  ones.  She  don't  make  no  com- 
plaint but  I  can  tell  by  the  way  she  squizzles 
up  her  eyes  when  she  reads  that  her  pressant 
ones  aint  suitable  and  I  says  to  Ed  to-day  after 
I  'd  told  him  about  it,  "  We  Ve  got  to  consult 
an  optimist  right  away." 

"  All  right,"  he  says,  "  and  I  guess  he  '11  pre- 
scribe rose-colored  glasses  for  Mother." 


221 


PROVIDENCE,  October  8. 

I  know  a  little  maid,  calm  and  serene, 
Who  sits  all  day  long  at  a  sewing-machine; 
The  stitches  are  many,  the  tread  beats  along, 
And  to  ears  and  to  heart  they  are  singing  a 

song. 

Click-a-click-click,  click-a-click-click, 
Dances  the  needle,  bright  and  quick, 
Whirls  the  big  wheel   around,   whir,  whir, 

whir. 

When  I  but  hear  the  sound,  think  I  of  her, 
Ever  of  her. 

On  a  long,  long  seam  from  morning  till  night, 
How  the  bright  garments  stream,  red,  blue,  pink 

and  white ! 
But   not    garments    alone   this   sweet   maid   is 

sewing 
'T  is   joy   that    she 's   weaving    and    over    all 

throwing. 

222 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Click-a-click-click,  click-a-click-click, 

Dances  the  needle  bright  and  quick, 

Whirls  the  big  wheel  around,  whir,   whir, 

whir. 

If  I  but  hear  the  sound,  think  I  of  her, 
Ever  of  her. 

The  needle's  bright  eye  and  its  long  tail  of 

thread 

Lead  on  a  new  cry  with  her  foot  on  the  tread, 
Why,    you  're   sewing   your   heart   like    a   big 

valentine 

To  my  heart  and  my  life,  O  little  maid  mine! 
Click-a-click-click,  click-a-click-click, 
Dances  the  needle  bright  and  quick, 
Whirls  the  big  wheel   around,   whir,   whir, 

whir. 

If  I  but  hear  the  sound,  think  I  of  her, 
Ever  of  her. 

I  may  wander  afar,  I  may  go  where  I  will; 
That  murmuring  music  will  follow  me  still, 
And  will  draw  me,  as  if  by  a  cable  of  gold, 
Back,  back  to  that  tenderest  fireside  fold. 
223 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Click-a-click-click,  click-a-click-click, 

Dances  the  needle  bright  and  quick, 

Whirls  the  big  wheel   around,  whir,   whir, 

whir. 

If  I  but  hear  the  sound,  think  I  of  her, 
Ever  of  her. 

This  is  a  poem  that  Ed  has  jest  come  acrost 
among  his  insurence  papers  (jest  like  a  nug- 
get of  gold  in  clay,  I  tell  him,  or  a  bright 
flower  in  a  swamp)  and  give  it  to  me  to 
read. 

It  is  jest  beautifull  poetry  and  the  chorus 
makes  music  for  itself  and  dances  in  your  head 
long  after  you  've  read  it. 

He  says  he  remembers  well  enough  the  night 
he  wrote  it.  It  was  soon  after  he  'd  took  the 
room  in  our  house  and  he  was  all  alone  up 
there  and  homesick  as  the  Dickens  (his  very 
words)  when  he  heard  my  machine  agoing 
amid  the  hooting  and  racing  round  of  our 
little  boys  and  Jim's  laugh.  Then  when  they 
had  quieted  down  he  heard  Mame  singing 
224 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  baby  to  sleep  with  the  same  murmering 
accompament. 

He  says  Cupid  aint  particklar  what  he  uses 
for  an  arrer  in  his  bow  but  adaptuates  himself 
to  circumstances  and  uses  whatever  's  handy  by. 
Sometimes  it 's  a  flower,  sometimes  it 's  the 
evening  star.  But  declares  he  himself  is  living 
proof  with  what  deadly  effeck  a  sewing-machine 
neadle  can  be  used. 

I  think  he  could  get  paid  for  his  poetry  if 
he  ever  sent  it  on  but  he  jest  laughs  and  says 
it  aint  worth  sending  on.  Mr.  Oglevie,  the 
minnestar,  asked  him  once  why  he  didnt  send 
jokes  to  the  funny  papers,  and  he  said  he  had. 

"And  did  they  pay  you  well?"  says  Mr. 
Oglevie. 

"I  can't  complain,"  he  answers;  "when  I 
send  them  funny  things  they  send  me  funny 
things,  too." 

Often  when  my  heart  is  full  I  wish  I  could 

express  myself  in  poetry  same  as  he  does  to 

me.      But   maybe   there   is   different   ways   of 

writing  pomes.     Every  seam  of  sewing  I  do 

'5  225 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

for  him  I  make  believe  is  a  line  of  poetry  be- 
cause I  put  my  whole  heart  into  it.  When  I 
heard  Sis  say  there  was  14  lines  in  a  sonnet 
I  was  making  his  new  dressing-gown  so  I 
quilted  14  lines  of  stitching  on  the  sleaves  and 
collar.  And  then  I  says,  "  These  are  my  love 
sonnets  for  you,  dear,  because  sewing  is  the 
only  gift  God  has  give  to  me." 

"  O  my  Jen !  O  my  little  poet  of  a  wife !  " 
he  says,  "  no  one  but  me  can  ever  read  them 
dear  sonnets.  And  no  one  else  should  ever 
read  them  though  there  was  ever  so  clever  a 
rime  tacked  on  to  every  line.  If  Elizabeth 
Browning  (she  was  a  lady  that  was  a  poetess 
who  married  a  man  that  was  one,  too)  had 
wrote  her  love  with  neadle  instead  of  pen 
all  its  sacredness  and  misterry  would  not  be 
laid  bare  to  the  whole  world  same  as  it  is 
now." 

Then  he  told  me  all  about  Mr.  Browning 

and   Mrs.  Browning  pouring  out  their  whole 

hearts  to  each  other  in  their  love  letters  (same 

as  anybody  is  apt  to  do)   and  after  they  was 

226 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

dead  they  was  put  in  books  and  sold  in  the 
stores  for  2  dollars  and  a  half! 

It  made  me  shiver  jest  to  hear  about  it. 
'  What  if  that  should  happen  to  me?  "  I  says. 

"Never  fear,  love,"  he  says;  "them  son- 
nets of  ours  can  never  be  translated  by  pros- 
terity.  Besides,"  he  added,  a  twinkle  acoming 
into  his  eyes,  "  I  doubt  if  them  collar  and  cuffs 
would  ever  bring  any  sech  fancy  price.  No 
value  excep  to  the  owner  and  to  him  they  are 
priceless." 

But  it  would  n't  be  him  if  he  did  n't  have  some 
fun  over  it  and  the  nex  day  when  he  saw  me 
asetting  down  before  a  big  quilting  frame 
where  I  was  agoing  to  quilt  one  of  Mother 
Spinny's  quilts  that  I  had  put  into  it  he  says, 

"Gee  whittaker!  If  she  aint  begun  an 
eppick!  " 

He  talks  so  educated  and  genteel  that  I 
often  wish  I  was  n't  so  far  behind  him.  And 
I  am  atrying  with  all  my  might  to  speak  cor- 
reck  so  that  he  wont  be  ashamed  of  me  —  no, 
I  know  he  would  never  be  that  —  but  I  mean 
227 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

so  that  folks  would  n't  wonder  he  was  n't. 
This  makes  me  take  heed  to  things  I  never 
noticed  before.  Like  when  Sis  said  once  "  Me 
and  Uncle  Ed  "  and  then  changed  it  quick  to 
"  Uncle  Ed  and  I."  I  says  then,  "  I  must 
remember  to  say  Ed  and  I  and  you  must  re- 
mind me,  Sis,  when  I  don't  say  it."  And  I 
said  it  over  a  number  of  times  to  get  used 
to  it. 

"There!"  says  Sis.  "You  don't  have  to 
say  it  so  many  times  as  all  that.  You  act  as 
if  you  liked  to  say  it." 

"  Why,  so  I  do,"  I  says. 

This  seemed  so  easy  that  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  learn  one  proper  thing  to  a  time  and 
it  would  be  a  good  simple  way  to  master  the 
grammar.  But  one  day  when  I  said  "  Ed  and 
I  "  I  was  in  despair  when  Sis  said,  "  There  's 
times  when  that  ought  to  be  '  Ed  and  me  '  on 
account  of  being  in  the  objective  case." 

Here  was  a  rock  in  my  path  sech  as  I  was 
unprepared  for  but  I  would  fight  it  with  sword 
and  daggar  till  even  its  very  roots  was  washed 
228 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

away.  I  hadnt  ever  heard  of  the  objective  case 
before  as  I  know  of  but  I  am  working  on  it 
now  by  spells  with  Sis  to  help  me.  She  is 
tickled  to  death  to  do  it  because  she  is  a 
natural-born  teacher.  She  cackleates  to  go 
to  the  normal  school  and  become  a  popular 
teacher,  so  she  says,  and  she  is  glad  to  prac- 
tice on  me  because  the  little  boys  wont  let  her. 

Still  I  wouldnt  ever  fuss  over  foolish  little 
things  in  grammar  that  some  folks  do.  Like 
when  Mame  was  telling  about  a  woman  that 
lived  on  the  East  Side  once  and  she  said  she 
summered  in  Maine  and  wintered  in  Niece  so 
she  only  springed  and  failed  in  Providence. 

"  You  should  say  sprang  and  fell,"  says 
Mrs.  Sawyer. 

And  then  another  time  she  tried  to  correck 
Jim.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  going  up  to 
Ed's  room  when  he  lodged  up  stairs  and  bor- 
rowing magazines.  He  liked  the  funny  ones 
pretty  well  and  one  night  he  says  to  him, 
"  Spinney,  I  been  upstairs  and  took  a  dozen 
'  Lifes.'  " 

229 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Why  dont  you  say  you  have  took  a  dozen 
lives,"  says  Mrs.  Sawyer,  "  and  be  correck?  " 

"  The  police  might  hear  me,"  says  Jim. 

No,  the  grammer  aint  anywheres  near  as 
simple  as  I  thought  it  was  when  I  started  in 
and  sometimes  I  am  almost  on  the  verge  of 
discurridgement.  Yesterday  when  Sis  and  I 
was  rassling  again  with  the  objective  case,  I 
declared  that  if  love  wan't  at  the  helium  (you 
see  I  was  doing  this  all  for  Ed)  my  small  ship 
would  soon  be  lost  among  the  rocks  and  preci- 
pices of  grammer. 

"  If  you  think  this  is  so  hard,"  says  she, 
"  what  will  you  do  when  you  come  to  the  pre- 
dicatious  absolutive?  "  (which  is  as  near  as  I 
can  remember  it). 

That  staggered  me  a  minute,  and  then, 
"  Maybe  I  '11  die  before  that,"  I  says  hopefully. 

Of  course  it  wan't  long  before  Ed  took  no- 
tice I  was  looking  after  my  speach  pretty 
severe. 

"  Who 's  the  guilty  one  that  I  may  slay 
him?"  he  inquired  in  pretentious  indignation. 
230 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Who  has  opened  my  wife's  innocent  eyes  to 
the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  grammer?  " 

Then  I  told  him  my  plan. 

He  looked  kind  of  grave  at  first,  then  he 
says,  "  What  makes  you  trouble  your  dear 
head  about  sech  matters?  They  aint  the  es- 
senshel  things." 

"  It 's  for  you,  Ed,"  I  says. 

"  O,  no,"  he  says  ;  "  dont  say  that.  I  love 
you  better  as  you  are." 

"  You  can't  mean  that.  You  can't  mean  you 
like  bad  grammer." 

"  I  like  yours.  I  aint  saying  I  like  anybody 
else's.  It 's  like  this :  don't  you  recolleck  say- 
ing, Jen,  that  if  my  nose  does  happen  to  be  too 
big  and  of  uncouth  outline  that  you  liked  it 
because  it  was  a  part  of  me?" 

"  I  said  something  that  amounted  to  that 
and  I  meant  it,  too." 

"  Well,  in  spite  of  your  affection  for  this 
interesting  feacher  would  you  ever  care  to  see 
it  if  it  was  removed  from  me?" 

"O  Ed,  don't  I" 

231 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  I  jest  wanted  to  bring  this  thing  home  to 
you  —  that 's  all." 

Ed  was  aspeaking  of  his  big  nose  once  and 
kind  of  apologizing  for  having  that  kind  of 
a  nose  and  Mame  reminded  him  that  't  was 
said  all  great  men  have  big  noses. 

"  But  do  big  noses  always  have  big  men?  " 
he  says;  "that's  the  important  question." 

I  knew  his  did  for  one. 

I  often  wonder  why  it  is  folks  is  expected 
to  have  jest  sech  shape  and  jest  sech  size  noses 
and  other  feachers.  A  nose  primaryly  is  an 
instrument  to  smell  with,  as  you  might  say, 
and  if  its  a  good  satisfactory  smeller  why  aint 
that  enough?  And  so  with  the  eyes  and  mouth. 
Mrs.  Sawyer's  eyes  as  seers  was  the  best  I  ever 
come  acrost.  It  was  even  said  by  some  that 
she  could  see  things  that  wan't  so,  but  I  guess 
there  's  no  truth  in  that  any  more  than  that 
big  nose  of  Ed's  smells  what  aint  so.  Well,  jest 
because  them  eyes  (doing  their  full  duty  all 
the  time,  mind  you)  wan't  situated  in  her  head 
quite  the  same  as  the  common  run  and  was  n't 
232 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

as  big  as  some  others,  they  was  criticized  and 
poked  fun  at.  Now  if  that  was  all  eyes  was 
for,  jest  to  be  handsome,  and  to  be  hung  up 
like  pictures  on  the  face  or  agrowing  there  like 
flowers  in  a  garden  it  would  be  all  right  to  find 
fault  if  they  was  hombly.  Or  if  noses  (hav- 
ing no  function  at  all)  was  something  that 
was  screwed  onto  anyone's  face  after  they  was 
all  done  jest  as  an  extry  ornament,  there  'd 
be  some  sense  in  grumbling  about  their  appear- 
ance. For  my  part  I  never  found  fault  with 
Mrs.  Sawyer's  eyes,  much  less  with  Ed's  nose. 

Then  I  told  him  some  of  the  troubles  I  was 
having,  "  especially,"  I  says,  "  when  you  and 
I  is  in  the  objective  case." 

"  I  don't  care,"  he  answers,  "  what  case  you 
and  I  are  in  as  long  as  we  're  there  together. 
Now,  look  here,  wifey  dear.  You  're  agoing 
to  conquer  this  troublesome  point  in  grammer 
because  labor  and  patience  like  yours  conquer 
everything.  But  is  it  worth  while?  I  think 
I  hear  the  minister  at  your  funeral  (though  I 
shall  not  be  there)  giving  vent  to  something 
233 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

like  this :  *  The  sister  that  is  alaying  here,  be- 
loved brethren,  is  a  woman  who  was  always 
a  willing  slave  to  one  great  ambition,  that  of 
mastering  the  objective  case.  To  this  she 
was  more  than  faithful.  Through  a  long  and 
(negatively  perhaps)  virtuous  life  her  interest 
in  that  objective  case  never  wavered.  Never 
once  did  she  sacrifice  its  demands  to  those  of 
home,  of  church,  of  country,  of  universal  lib- 
erty and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 

'*  Her  husband,  though  unable  to  complain 
of  any  duty  left  undone,  no  lack  of  help  when 
help  was  needed  to  sustain  him  (excepting  when 
the  requirements  of  this  great  aim  intervened) 
her  faithful  husband  yet  felt  that  always  be- 
tween him  and  the  chosen  helpmeat  of  his 
life  was  this  troublesome  case  —  this  irritating 
nerve-racking,  maddening  brain-devouring  ob- 
jective case.  And  she  died  as  she  has  lived, 
brethren  —  died  with  a  prayer  on  her  lips,  as 
befitted  a  woman  of  Christian  character  but  a 
prayer  that  ended  with  a  noun  in  the  objective 
case  governed  by  the  preposition  "  of." 
234 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  There !  how  's  that  for  a  funeral  roara- 
tion  to  look  forrard  to?  "  and  he  grabbed  me, 
drawed  me  close  up  to  him  on  the  sofy,  and 
held  my  face  up  close  to  his.  And  I  had  to 
laugh.  Sometimes  I  think  that  when  he  is 
making  fun  of  me  I  love  him  the  most  of  all. 

But  I  was  disapointed  to  find  out  I  was  n't 
pleasing  him  like  I  expected  I  would  by  im- 
proving my  mind  for  that  thought  always  made 
it  easier  for  me. 

"  O  little  woman,"  he  says,  his  arms  close 
about  me  now,  "  if  you  knew  how  I  yearn  for 
your  double  negatives  when  I  am  among  cold  and 
grammatical  strangers !  No,  you  aint  changing 
all  this  to  make  me  happier,  I  can  tell  you  that. 

"  Then  if  it  can't  be  for  you,  dear,  that  I 
try  to  improve  and  make  the  very  best  of  my- 
self that  I  can,  then"  (and  I  turned  my  face 
a  little  away  from  him)  "  then  let  it  be  for  an- 
other—  for  the  one  that 's  on  his  way  to  us." 

Then  he  knelt  down  before  me  like  I  had 
been  a  shrine. 


235 


PROVIDENCE,  November  7. 

MOTHER  SPINNEY  takes  a  lot  of  comfort  sew- 
ing patchwork  and  making  quilts  and  while  she 
and  I  set  asewing  together  she  talks  a  good 
deal  about  Ed  when  he  was  a  little  boy  and 
their  life  in  Woppodentneck,  Maine.  But  to- 
day when  she  was  asorting  over  some  old  famil- 
iar pieces  for  a  new  quilt  that  was  portions 
of  the  past  (of  long-gone-by  dresses  and  aprons 
and  sunbonnets  and  blouses)  she  seemed  to 
be  dwelling  more  than  usual  in  the  past.  I 
often  think  it 's  a  pity  that  them  that  dwell 
so  much  in  the  past  have  to  be  paying  house- 
rent  in  the  present,  more  especially  as  its  com- 
monly the  ones  that  find  house-rent  a  burden 
that  goes  back  to  it  the  most. 

I  guess  by  what  she  tells  me  that  he  was 
always  jest  about  the  same  hand  to  joke  as 
he  is  now.     She  says  she  recollecks  once  he 
236 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

did  n't  get  home  from  school  when  he  'd  ought 
to  and  she  put  on  her  bunnet  and  went  to  see 
what  it  was  about.  The  school-teacher  told 
her  she  had  kep  him  after  school  to  learn  over 
two  words  he  'd  missed  in  the  spelling-lesson 
and  she  told  her  what  ones  they  was.  They 
wan't  hard  words  —  that  is,  according  to  lenth, 
though  kind  of  mixing  as  you  might  say,  and 
his  mother  says,  "  Edward,  I  'm  supprized  at 
you  —  sech  simple  words,  too." 

"  I  'm  more  than  supprized,  Mother,"  he  says 
from  his  impriserment  in  the  back  seat,  "  I  'm 
spell-bound." 

"  He  was  a  first-rate  speller,"  she  says,  "  as 
a  general  thing  but  Annis  was  n't.  (Annis  was 
her  daughter.) 

"  Once  when  there  was  going  to  be  a  great 
spelling-match  we  told  her  she  must  prime  up 
because  everybody  in  Washington  County  most 
would  be  there  and  it  would  be  a  terrible  dis- 
grace for  her  to  go  down  on  '  people,'  or  any 
sech  thing  as  that.  She  'd  missed  '  people  '  the 
day  before,  leaving  out  the  o." 
237 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

That  reminds  me  of  what  Ed  said  jest  the 
other  day  about  that  word,  but  it  wan't  in  re- 
gard to  Annis  because  he  never  speaks  of  her. 
He  was  running  down  standard  spelling  jest 
to  hear  me  stand  up  for  it,  I  guess,  and  he 
says,  "why  is  the  appendix  like  the  letter  o? 
Because  it  has  always  been  in  people  when 
there  's  no  need  of  it." 

"  Well,"  I  says,  (thinking  of  the  o  and  the 
wholesome  discipline  the  teaching  of  it  occa- 
sioned) it  don't  do  no  harm  as  I  know  of  and 
it  does  some  folks  a  lot  of  good." 

'  That 's  a  doctor's  view  of  it,"  he  says. 

But  to  go  back  to  Mother  Spinney's  story. 
"  Annis  was  sech  a  highty-tighty  little  thing," 
she  went  on,  "  full  of  life  and  fun  and  frolic 
that  it  was  a  job  to  get  her  down  to  anything, 
much  less  anything  so  dull  and  uninteresting 
as  the  spelling-book.  She  was  so  pretty  the 
school-master,  they  said,  could  n't  take  his  eyes 
offen  her  without  he  was  obliged  to,  and  so 
all  the  little  fellers  set  as  far  away  from  her 
as  they  could  because  they  knew  then  they 
238 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

could  cut  up  all  they  wanted  to  and  he 
would  n't  see  them.  They  'd  swap  off  their 
seats  if  they  was  in  her  visinity  with  the  big 
boys  that  wanted  to  set  near  her.  They  was 
all  mad  over  her  and  she  could  twirl  them 
round  her  thumb  same  as  she  could  her  brother 
to  home.  I  used  to  say  I  wish  Annis  did  n't 
have  quite  so  many  beauxs  but  in  my  heart  I 
guess  I  was  pretty  proud  of  the  attentions  she 
got,  and  I  would  add,  '  Well,  there  's  safety 
in  numbers.' 

"  '  Then  Nan  's  almighty  safe,'  her  brother 
would  say. 

"  Well,  between  us  we  got  her  to  master 
phthisic  and  Deuteronomy  and  don't  you  be- 
lieve, as  luck  would  have  it  (and  luck  always 
held  the  best  there  was  for  Annis)  them  was 
the  only  hard  words  that  come  to  her  and  she 
was  among  the  very  last  to  remain  standing. 
Even  then  the  school-master  said  she  was  ever- 
dently  confused  or  she  would  n't  have  went 
down  on  sech  a  simple  word  as  she  did.  And 
the  next  evening  what  did  he  do  but  come  up 
239 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

to  the  house  and  presented  her  with  an  extry 
prize  to  make  it  up  to  her." 

;<  That  was  awfull  kind  in  him." 

'Yes,  wan't  it?  He  said  he  hadn't  much 
doubt  any  way  but  he  was  the  one  to  blame 
for  her  missing  that  word  seeing  he  'd  got  kind 
of  hoarced  up  giving  them  out  so  long  and  not 
speaking  it  off  distinck." 

'What  was  the  prize?  a  Bible  or  a  book 
of  poetry?  Them's  what  they  give  down  to 
Chictooset  for  spelling-prizes." 

"  No,  this  was  differant  from  the  common 
run  of  things,  on  account,  I  expect,  of  him 
knowing  jest  who  he  was  apicking  it  out  for. 
Bibles  and  poetry  books  is  broad  and  vaig,  as 
you  might  say,  and  this  was  individooal." 

'  That 's  so,"  I  says,  "  about  the  same  dif- 
ferance  as  there  is  between  an  unbrella  and 
a  hat  —  where  you  descend  from  the  general 
to  the  particular." 

"  The  prize  the  school-master  brought  was 
a  pretty  red  '  cloud '  sech  as  you  recolleck  they 
used  to  wear  for  a  hood  and  scarf  combinated 
240 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

in  them  days  that  had  white  silky  tossels  on 
the  ends." 

Here  Mother  Spinney  laughed  as  she  often 
does  over  some  redicklous  recollection  and  says, 
"  Once  when  my  husband's  sister  and  her  big 
fambly  from  Montana  was  avisiting  us  we  had 
to  double  up  and  tribble  up  at  night  because 
the  house  was  small  and  most  anything  we 
come  acrost  we  had  to  make  believe  was  bed- 
clothes for  the  time  being.  Yes,  our  house 
was  pretty  little  but  it  was  the  kind  that  could 
stretch  and  I  'd  ruther  have  that  kind  than 
Adelaide  Emery's  mansion  up  on  the  hill  that 
was  sech  a  loose  fit  for  Adelaide  and  the  hired 
girl. 

"  Well,  one  night  after  we  'd  all  retired  — 
no  I  don't  spose  I  'd  ought  to  say  retired,  be- 
cause retiring  means  rising  up  at  the  evening's 
close  and  taking  your  lamp  after  bidding  the 
folks  good-night  in  a  polite  way  that  you  don't 
expect  to  see  again  till  each  one  gethers  around 
the  breakfast  table,  and  seaking  the  reclusion 
of  your  own  apartment.  That 's  retiring  but 

16  241 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

what  we  done  when  Sister  Luphelia  was  with 
us  was  as  different  from  that  as  night  is  like 
day." 

Mother  Spinney  is  kind  of  rambling  by  spells 
and  wanders  away  from  her  subjeck.  She  'd 
started  out  to  tell  me  about  Annis's  prize  and 
here  she  was  passing  out  a  long  definition,  and 
a  definition  of  a  word  at  that  that  she  'd 
started  in  to  say  wan't  the  right  one  to  use. 
I  felt  like  saying  '  Are  you  Noah  Webster  or 
are  you  Mother  Spinney?'  but  I  didn't.  She 
could  recite  off  a  whole  dictionary  if  she  had 
a  mind  to  and  I  would  n't  complain  —  because 
she  was  Ed's  mother. 

Sis  is  awfull  strong  on  self-made  defferni- 
tions.  Bub  was  reading  the  other  evening  and 
he  asked  Sis  what  an  exstinkt  animal  was. 
"  It 's  one  that 's  ben  dead  a  long  time,"  says 
she,  "  and  smells  bad,"  without  stopping  a 
minute  to  think. 

"  Well,"  he  says,  "  there  's  an  exstinkt  ani- 
mal in  Tortrum's  back  yard  and  I  think  it 's 
a  cat." 

242 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

At  last  Mother  Spinney  got  back  to  her  tex 
and  she  went  on :  "  After  we  'd  got  settled  for 
the  night  (I  had  3  of  the  children  with  me 
and  each  one  had  a  cooky  and  I  did  n't  mind 
the  3  children  as  much  I  did  the  3  cookies 
because  laying  on  crumbs  is  far  from  pleasant) ." 

"  Grammy,"  I  interrupted,  "  you  can't  tell  me 
nothing  about  sleeping  on  cooky  crumbs." 

"  Jest  then  Edward  Joseph  hollered  out  from 
the  bed  we  'd  impoverished  for  him  on  the 
kitchen  floor,  '  Mother,  what 's  this  durned 
thing  you've  got  under  my  head?' 

"  It  'sAnnis's  cloud,  dear.  Why?"  "'Maybe 
it  is  a  cloud  by  day,'  he  says,  '  but  by  night 
it 's  a  pillar  of  fire.'  " 

"How  pretty  Annis  looked  in  that  cloud! 
'  You  can  put  it  on,  if  you  like,'  she  said  to 
the  school-master  when  he  'd  brought  it  and 
she  'd  laughed  in  glee  over  the  pretty  thing. 
And  she  came  and  stood  before  him,  her 
bright,  sarcy  little  face  looking  up  so  tantaliz- 
ing into  his,  her  eyes  adancing  and  her  red  lips 
parted.  If  he  liked!  O  how  slow  and  tender 
243 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

he  wound  the  soft  wool  round  the  curly  head 
and  the  slim  white  throat.  He  was  nothing 
but  a  big  bashfull  boy  himself  and  I  could  see 
his  hand  atremling  when  he  tied  the  gnot  under 
her  chin.  Them  honest  eyes  of  his  looked 
down  as  if  he  was  adoring  her  but  law,  she 
did  n't  care  the  snap  of  your  finger  for  him. 

'  Yes,  Annis's  lips  was  most  always  parted 
showing  the  pretty  little  white  teeth  between 
owing  to  her  having  sech  a  short  upper  lip.  Her 
father  used  to  say  when  she  was  a  tiny  thing, 
'  I  have  to  kiss  the  baby  twice  at  once  for  both 
lips  don't  get  it  at  the  same  time,  and  I  guess 
through  her  short  life  she  always  got  2  kisses 
to  anybody  else's  one.  For  all  she  was  so  little 
she  could  draw  herself  up  and  make  you  seem 
awful  little  and  no  account  - —  so  one  of  her 
beauxs  used  to  say  —  and  it  was  having  the 
short  upper  lip  and  the  look  she  could  put  into 
her  eyes  to  match  it  that  made  her  able  to  do  it. 
I  wish  you  could  see  her  the  night  the  Village 
Drematic  Club  put  on  Queen  Esther  to  shingle 
the  school-house  and  put  in  new  under  pinning. 
244 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

There  never  was  anything  like  it.  So  much  so 
that  it  was  repeated  twice,  and  folks  come  from 
all  around  to  see  it  and  the  paper  said,  '  This 
queen  was  more  than  queen  in  her  splendid 
scorn  and  her  vivvid  beauty. '  Her  dress  was 
white  and  silver  gauze  with  a  low  neck  and  an 
awful  long  train  and  white  satin  high-heeled 
shoes.  Ed  had  got  some  dress-goods  cheap  of 
a  travelling-man  that  was  shop-worn  and  not 
being  salable  anyway,  people  in  Maine  not  be- 
ing given  to  gauziness  as  a  general  thing  in  any 
sence.  Mis'  Wolcott  helped  her  make  the 
dress  and  rigged  her  up  in  it  and  lent  her  the 
fancy  shoes.  I  guess  likely  you  Ve  heard  me 
speak  of  Mis'  Wolcott.  She  was  Capten  Wol- 
cott's  wife  of  the  navy  that  was  there  for  a 
spell  for  her  husband's  health  and  him  and  his 
wife  took  a  great  shine  to  Annis. 

"  She  was  a  lovely  lady,  but  poor  woman ! 
she  had  her  troubles  like  the  rest  of  us. 
There  was  a  good-for-nothing-brother  —  Mal- 
colm Treverton,  his  name  was  —  ahanging 
round  and  living  on  them  most  of  the  time. 
245 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Handsome  as  a  picter  he  was,  and  had  a  way 
with  him  so  he  could  get  most  anything  he 
wanted  from  folks  by  his  pretty  speaches.  But 
no  principle  and  all  the  time  running  the  poor 
Cappen  and  his  wife  in  debt  something  ter- 
rable.  Yes,  he  was  an  awfull  trial  but  no 
one  never  heard  her  complain.  She  was  too 
proud  for  that.  And  by  the  way  she  'd  say, 
4  My  brother,  Mr.  Treverton,'  you  'd  think 
he  was  the  angell  Gabriel  or  one  of  the 
selectmen. 

Well,  Annis  done  her  a  lot  of  good  she  was 
so  bright  and  lively  and  jest  about  lived  to  their 
cottage  when  they  was  agetting  ready  for  the 
play.  If  she  stayed  late  in  the  evening  the 
Cappen  was  always  nice  and  polite  and  would 
see  her  home,  Edward  Joseph  not  being  here  to 
home  to  go  for  her  (he  was  working  up  in  the 
woods  that  winter).  But  I  guess  she  got  kind 
of  tired  of  them  and  after  the  play  she  stopped 
agoing  there.  She  wan't  much  more  than  a 
child  and  child-like  she  soon  tired  of  most  any- 
thing. I  got  the  silver  gauze  laid  away  now. 
246 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

I  've  always  been  sorry  it  was  too  thin  to  put 
into  a  quilt." 

Ed  says  his  mother  would  put  into  a  quilt 
anything  and  everything  she  could  even  to  her 
immortal  soul. 

"  How  did  the  play  pass  off?  "  I  asked  her. 

"  Beautiful,  all  but  where  the  school-master 
forgot  his  part  when  the  Queen  came  on.  But 
nobody  wondered  and  nobody  blamed  him. 
The  whole  ordinance  jest  gave  one  low  '  Oh.  ' 
when  they  saw  her. 

"  But  she  did  n't  look  prettier  to  her  mother 
that  night  than  she  did  in  the  red  cloud  she  ?d 
earned  with  her  phthisic  and  her  Deuteronomy. 
Her  hair  looked  so  black  and  kinky  as  it 
showed  under  the  bright  wool  and  her  cheeks 
was  jest  the  same  color.  I  don't  want  no 
prettier  picter  to  carry  with  me  till  life  is  done 
or  memory  dies  than  that  little  girl  of  mine  on 
a  clear  winter's  morning  adarting  down  over  the 
snowy  hill  on  her  brother's  double-runner.  Her 
happy  face  was  alooking  back  at  me,  as  I  stood 
by  the  winder  all  aglowing  and  framed  in  the 
247 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

red  cloud,  and  the  bright  ends  was  aflying  out 
like  the  red  wings  of  a  bird. 

"  The  school-master  used  to  say  Annis  re- 
minded him  of  a  troppicle  bird  but  she  seamed 
to  remind  him  of  most  anything  that  was  all 
life  or  color  or  gladness.  Edward  Joseph 
says  there  was  very  excellent  material  in  that 
feller  to  make  a  fool  of  himself  if  he  felt  so  in- 
clined. But  he  did  n't  reely  mean  it.  He  liked 
him,  I  know. 

"  Speaking  of  Annis,  Jennie,  when  are  we 
agoing  to  get  to  planning  and  cutting  out  that 
red  and  white  dress  of  hers  for  the  sofy  afti- 
ghan?  Edward  Joseph  can't  bear  to  see  any- 
thing of  hers  round  but  I  guess  he  wont  recker- 
nize  this  considering  he  aint  seen  it  for  eigh- 
teen years.  He  went  without  the  new  overcoat 
that  winter  that  he  'd  been  planning  on  for 
two  years,  to  buy  the  dress  for  her  and  pay 
her  way  to  singing  and  dancing-school.  His 
old  one  was  dreadful  shabby  and  faded  ('t  was 
one  over  from  his  father)  but  he  could  n't  re- 
fuse her  when  she  asked  him.  He  never  could 
248 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

refuse  her  anything.  He  was  more  like  a 
father  than  a  brother  to  her  even  before  he  'd 
growed  up.  As  a  boy  he  spent  half  his  time 
hunting  her  up  when  she  'd  run  away,  and 
most  always  he  'd  find  her  in  somebody's  house 
that  would  be  standing  round  her  in  a  circle 
alistening  and  alaughing  at  her  little  songs 
and  peices.  And  often  they  would  say,  '  Why, 
your  mother  wan't  worried  about  her,  was  she? 
she  told  us  her  mother  said  she  could  stay  till 
we  took  her  home. '  The  little  rogue  1  " 

I  did  n't  say  nothing  to  interrupt  Mother 
Spinney  for  it  done  her  good  to  live  over  again 
these  old  times  and  I  guess  she  jest  about  for- 
got that  I  was  there  anyway.  "  Then  she  used 
to  like  to  play  in  the  rocks  down  by  the  river," 
she  went  on,  "  with  some  neighbor's  children 
named  Kittery  that  we  did  n't  want  nothing  to 
do  with,  on  account  of  him  being  in  jail  and  the 
rest  of  the  family  in  proportion.  Quite  fre- 
quant  she  'd  stay  there  till  it  was  too  dark  to 
come  home  alone  and  then  she  'd  holler  for 
her  brother  to  come  for  her.  '  Teddy  Joe. 
249 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Teddy  Joe !  '  she  'd  call,  and  he  'd  run  down 
and  take  aholt  of  her  hand  and  help  her  over 
the  rocks  home." 

"  What  a  care  she  was  to  him !  " 

"  Yes,  she  was  always  a  care  —  always  a 
care,"  and  the  poor  dim  eyes  seemed  to  be 
looking  only  into  the  past  —  "  but  it  liked  to 
kill  Edward  Joseph  and  me  when  that  care  was 
over. 

"  When  he  come  home  that  day  four  days 
after  she  had  went  away,  as  soon  as  I  looked 
into  his  face  I  knew  it  was  Annis. 

"  '  Is  she  dead?  '  I  says. 

"  His  face  was  like  death  and  his  words 
seamed  to  choke  him  when  he  said,  '  Yes,  she  's 
dead.' 

"  I  was  sick  a  long  time  after  that  and  I  ain't 
ever  ben  well  since  and  as  for  Edward  Joseph 
his  greaf  was  so  deap  he  can't  stand  it  to  hear 
her  name  mentioned  even  now.  I  never  speak 
it  because  I  know  it  hurts  him  so  and  that 's 
why  it 's  sech  a  comfort  to  have  you  to  talk 
about  her  to.  I  hope  I  ain't  atiring  of  you  out." 
250 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  No,  no,  Mother;  tell  me  more,"  I  says 
as  I  laid  the  patches  I  'd  peaced  together  into 
her  basket.  "  I  don't  see  how  people  bears  sech 
sorrers  as  that." 

"  I  guess  it  would  n't  have  been  so  hard  if 
she  had  come  and  bid  me  goodby  before  she 
went  but  you  know  what  she  said  in  the  letter 
I  Ve  showed  -you  so  many  times,  that  it  was 
agoing  to  be  too  hard  for  her  to  do  that  and  it 
might  make  her  lose  her  courage  about  leav- 
ing us.  I  had  to  cry  where  she  said  she  did  n't 
want  to  be  a  burden  to  Teddy  Joe  no  longer 
(a  burden!)  and  wanted  to  strike  out  and  earn 
her  own  living.  She  was  agoing  to  start  for 
Europe  that  very  day,  she  said,  and  be  a 
companion  to  a  friend  of  Mis'  Wolcott's  and 
it  would  n't  be  long  before  she  come  back  with 
beautifull  presants  for  us  both,  '  and  I  '11  think 
of  you  and  love  you  every  minute  I  'm  away 
—  you  and  Teddy  Joe  has  ben  so  good  to 
me,'  was  how  she  wound  up.  I  Ve  know  that 
letter  by  heart  ever  since  I  read  it  first.  To 
the  girls  that  was  always  jealous  of  her  and 
251 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

said  she  would  take  the  last  crust  from  our 
mouths  to  deck  herself  out  with,  to  them  girls 
I  showed  that  letter  and  they  looked  oh  !  so 
pitying  at  me  and  had  n't  a  word  to  say. 

"  And  I  did  n't  have  the  comfort  of  a  grave 
to  go  to  her  being  drownded  as  she  was  and  the 
body  (oh!  how  awful  that  word  sounds  to  a 
mother  )  the  body  never  being  found." 

She  'd  dropped  her  work  now  and  the  busy 
old  fingers  was  alaying  idle  in  her  lap.  "  But 
I  used  to  carry  great  heaps  of  the  bright  red 
flowers  she  'd  loved  and  laid  them  on  a  spot  be- 
side her  father's  and  I  made  believe  that  was 
her  grave.  I  told  Edward  Joseph  I  wanted  him 
to  have  a  stone  raised  there  when  he  felt  able 
with  her  name  on  it.  He  promised  me  but  it 
ain't  there  yet.  I  know  what  he  's  awaiting 
for,  though.  He  's  awaiting  till  he  can  get  a 
splendid  one  for  her  —  one  that 's  taller  and 
whiter  than  all  the  others  there.  That 's  Ed- 
ward Joseph. 

"  I  used  to  see  other  mothers  that  had  lost 
children  up  in  the  cemetery. 
252 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  One  had  died  that  was  jest  the  age  of  Annis 
and  one  of  her  playmates.  And  her  mother 
when  she  saw  me  at  the  grave  that  was  n't 
Annis's  at  all  would  look  and  speak  pitying  to 
me  and  I  'd  hear  her  say  to  her  husband  as  she 
stood  with  him  where  their  own  child  was  alay- 
ing,  'O  poor  Lois  Spinney!  poor  soul!  poor 
soul.' 

"  It  shows  what  consolation  there  is  in  jest 
a  grave." 

I  looked  up  into  the  patient,  care-lined  face 
but  there  wan't  a  tear  there.  It  looked  like 
the  face  had  outlived  all  its  tears. 

"  Was  it  this  time  that  Ed  give  up  business 
there  and  come  to  the  citty?  "  I  asked  her. 

"  Yes,  and  I  Ve  always  felt  it  was  because 
he  could  n't  bear  to  stay  where  everything  re- 
minded him  of  the  sister  he  'd  worshipped  and 
lost.  It  was  jest  the  contrary  with  me.  It 
seamed  as  if  I  could  n't  ever  tear  myself  away 
from  the  place  so  full  of  precious  memmeries. 
He  never  let  on,  though,  that  that  was  the 
reason  and  one  day  he  says,  '  Mother,  taint  no 
253 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

use  me  trying  any  longer  to  make  a  living  in 
that  store.  Taint  like  being  in  the  citty  where 
you  can  carry  everything  on  on  a  cash  basiss.'  ' 

And  that 's  true  enough.  I  Ve  heard  Ed  my- 
self talk  enough  about  that.  You  can't  dun 
folks  for  money  that  you  know  aint  got  it  and 
no  way  of  getting  it  on  account  of  all  hands 
being  sick  and  not  able  to  work.  And  then  in 
the  citty  it  's  all  right  to  keep  asending  bills  to 
people  that  is  slow  about  paying  (slow  being  a 
mild  term  much  in  faver)  but  in  the  town  where 
you  was  born  and  raised  how  are  you  going  to 
send  a  bill  for  the  3rd  or  4th  time  to  anybody 
that  comes  in  and  says,  "  Edward,  I  jest  ben 
in  to  see  your  mother,  and  I  prayed  with  her, 
and  I  feel  free  to  say  she  is  in  a  state  of  sancti- 
fying grace.  She  appears  to  feel  the  impelling 
foarce  of  the  sperrit  to  a  marked  and  onusual 
degree.  I  got  the  greatest  hopes  of  your 
mother,  Edward." 

Of  course  you  tear  up  the  bill  thinking  any- 
one like  that  will  soon  call  to  mind  the  others 
that  has  accumalated.    But  do  they? 
254 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Then  how  are  you  going  to  be  mean  enough 
to  remind  a  woman  of  her  grossery  bill  that 
walks  in  and  says, 

"  Give  me  a  packedge  of  slnnomon,  I  'm  us- 
ing an  awful  sight  of  spice  this  week  on  account 
of  it  being  my  pickling  and  putting-up  week. 
I  jest  took  a  jar  of  my  new-made  chow-chow 
into  your  mother,  Ed,  and  she  was  tickled 
enough  over  it.  She  said,  and  she  always  has 
said,  that  my  chow-chow  is  the  only  chow-chow 
where  the  sinnomon  flavor  stood  out  distinck 
and  seamed  to  dominate  (as  you  might  say) 
its  sister  flavers.  I  hove  in  a  lot  of  extry  sin- 
nomon having  that  very  thing  in  mind." 

(  I  don't  know  as  this  language  was  hers. 
It  sounds  more  like  Ed's  but  it 's  the  way  he 
told  it.) 

What  are  you  agoing  to  do  ?  You  are  agoing 
to  say,  "  Well,  I  take  that  very  kind  of  you," 
and  furthermore  than  that  you  are  agoing  to 
add,  "  Look  here  !  I  aint  agoing  to  charge 
this  sinnomon  up  to  you,"  and  you  stick  to  it 
even  after  she  's  said,  "  Yes  you  be,  too,  Ed 
255 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Spinney.  Think  I  'm  going  to  let  you  give  it 
to  me?  What  do  you  take  me  for?  " 

And  here  the  conversation  has  to  stop  for 
you  dont  darst  to  tell  her  what  you  think  of  her, 
seeing  you  have  to  be  carefull  of  your  language 
before  ladys. 

Then  their  name  is  legion  (as  well  as  Kit- 
tery  and  Gooch  and  Hitchcock)  that  slops  in 
and  says,  "  Jest  pass  me  out  a  couple  of  white 
spools  of  thread  number  40  or  50  (  or  a  string 
of  herring  or  a  plug  of  tobacker  )  and  I  '11 
come  in  in  the  mornin'  and  pay  yer.  I  aint  got 
the  change  with  me." 

Anybody  would  say  you  was  meaner  than  git- 
out  to  send  in  a  bill  for  sech  a  trifle,  but  a  trifle 
from  the  biggest  part  of  the  poppleation  means 
something  in  the  run  of  a  year,  especially  as 
he  had  to  send  on  cash  for  the  goods. 

Some  winters  when  trade  was  the  worst,  he 
told  me,  he  'd  shut  up  his  store  and  go  up  in  the 
woods  to  work  in  the  logging-camps  in  order 
to  get  enough  to  take  care  of  the  fambly  and  to 
stock  up  in  the  spring.  And  sometimes  middle 
256 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

of  summer  he  'd  shut  up  again  and  work  in  the 
lumber  mills  a  spell  till  trade  breezed  up  a 
little  in  the  fall. 

A  stranger  asked  him  once  if  there  was  sech 
a  thing  as  a  periodical  store  in  town. 

"  Well,"  he  says,  kind  of  rueful,  "  I  guess 
mine  comes  about  as  near  to  one  as  any." 

"  And  do  you  keep  stationary?  "  he  inquired. 

"  O  no !  I  can't  keep  that  way.  I  have  to 
hustle  round  pretty  lively  or  we  'd  starve." 

His  mother  referring  about  them  experi- 
ences of  his  to-day  says,  "  He  never  lost  heart 
while  Annis  lived  but  after  that  his  courage 
seemed  all  gone.  You  aint  ever  ben  a  mother, 
Jennie,  and  so  you  can't  know  what  it  was  to 
me  to  see  Edward  Joseph  taking  down  the  sign 

E.  J.  Spinney, 
Dry  Goods  and  Groceries. 

that  he  'd  put  up  with  so  much  pride  and  hope 
only  a  few  years  before.  He  'd  gilded  the 
letters  himself  to  save  expense  and  he  and  I  was 
awfull  proud  of  it.  Annis  was  a  little  thing  then 
17  257 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

but  she  was  proud  of  it,  too,  and  she  used  to 
point  at  it  to  her  little  playmates  and  say, 
"  Look  at  our  name  up  there  all  in  shining 
gold." 

"  But  it  was  blackened  and  tarnished  when  he 
took  it  down. 

"  It  produced  considdable  excitement  him  put- 
ting it  up,  on  account  of  new  stores  not  being 
opened  up  very  often  in  a  town  like  ours.  There 
was  quite  a  gang  of  men  and  boys  ahanging 
round  and  watching  him  as  there  always  is  at 
sech  times  and  they  was  grouped  around  the 
ladder  when  he  'went  up  it  and  kep  heaving  out 
advice  about  how  to  fasten  the  sign  up  and  about 
how  the  position  of  it  had  ought  to  be.  Edward 
Joseph  knew  that  'bout  all  they  was  awaiting 
for  was  the  cigars  he  was  agoing  to  treat  with 
afterwards  but  he  was  in  sech  high  sperrits,  he 
tried  to  take  advice  from  everybody  even  when 
they  conflictuated  and  jest  as  he  'd  got  in  the 
last  nail  and  was  about  to  come  down  the  ladder 
he  pointed  up  to  the  sign  like  a  play-actor  like 
this  (  and  she  raised  her  arm  up  high  )  and 
258 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

said  in  a  loud  voice,  '  In  hock  signo  vinchy,' 
which  is  in  the  back  of  the  spelling  book  and 
means  '  In  this  sign  conquer !  ' 

My  poor  brave  boy!  O  Ed,  I  says  to  my- 
self, "  I  want  to  comfort  you  for  all  you  Ve 
ben  through.  It  seems  as  if  I  could  n't  wait 
for  you  to  get  home.  But  I  aint  telepathing 
for  you  to  come,  dear.  I  aint  so  selfish  as  that. 

There  's  a  lot  of  sympathy  give  out  for  the 
great  disapointments  and  defeats  in  histerry 
sech  as  Napoleon  getting  beat  at  Water  Loo, 
and  the  arkangel  Patrick  being  drove  down  out 
of  Heaven.  And  I  ain't  saying  that  it  was  very 
plessant  for  any  one  of  them.  But  to  me  the 
most  pityful  of  all  is  off  in  that  little  scraggly 
town  in  Maine  poor  Ed  Spinney  ataking  down 
his  sign. 


259 


NOVEMBER  i6th. 

ED  come  home  to-night  when  I  was  wripping 
up  the  red  and  white  dress.  "  Put  that  away!  " 
he  says.  I  never  thought  he  coulcj  be  so  stern. 
"Put  that  away!  I  don't  want  my  wife  to 
touch  it!  " 


260 


DECEMBER  the  9th. 

ITS  the  middle  of  the  night  and  the  storm  is  rag- 
ing so  that  the  house  is  arocking  in  the  wind. 
I  cant  sleep.  Ed  is  asleep  and  thinks  I  am  too, 
but  I  cant  close  by  eyes  with  what  I  have  got 
on  my  mind.  I  am  agoing  to  write  even  if  I 
tear  it  all  up  afterwards,  because  maybe  it  will 
carm  and  steady  me. 

She  came  to-night  when  Grammy  'd  gone  to 
bed  and  I  was  alone  —  did  this  poor  sick  hag- 
gerd  woman.  I  heard  a  faint  gnock  to  the  back 
door  and  when  I  opened  it  there  she  stood  a- 
leaning  against  the  jam,  and  when  she  looked 
at  me  with  her  great  holler  eyes  and  tryed  to 
speak  she  was  took  with  a  spell  of  coughing  so 
she  couldent  mutter  a  word.  I  took  aholt  of 
her  hands  very  gentle  and  drawed  her  into  the 
warm  kitchen  into  Grammy's  big  rocker  close 
to  the  stove.  Even  after  she  'd  took  a  drink 
201 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

of  water  and  stoped  coughing  it  seamed  as  if 
she  couldent  speak.  At  last  she  looked  up  at 
me  and  says,  "Are  you  Ted's  wife?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  says. 

"  I  'm  Annis,"  she  says.  "  I  'm  his  sister, 
and  I  Ve  come  a  long  ways  to  see  him  —  jest 
to  bid  him  good-by." 

"  Annis !  "  I  cried,  "  His  little  sister  Annis  I 

0  where  have  you  been  and  why  have  n't  you 
come  before?  "    And  I  took  aholt  of  both  her 
cold  hands  and  kissed  her. 

"  I  Ve  been  close  round  here  for  most  a 
week  but  I  aint  had  the  currage  to  come  —  and 

1  felt  as  if  I  was  as  far  away  from  Ted  as  if 
I  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  world.     But 
to-night   I    couldent   keep    away "  —  her   eyes 
aroving  wistfully  round  —  "I   could  n't   keep 
away." 

I  was  down  on  my  gnees  before  her  then  and 
trying  to  take  off  her  things,  but  she  drawed 
her  shawl  acrost  her  and  says,  "  No,  I  'm  afraid 
he  wont  speak  to  me.  He  wrote  me  I  must 
never  try  to  find  him  —  that  I  'd  give  Mother 
262 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

her  death  blow  and  he  never  wanted  to  see 
me  again.     He  'd  turn  me  outdoors." 

"  Aint  you  ashamed!  "  I  cried.  "  Aint  you 
ashamed  to  say  sech  things  about  Ed  Spinney! 
Ed  Spinney  with  his  great  big  heart  that  cant 
bear  to  see  a  pin  stuck  through  a  buttarfly  — 
let  alone  a  weak,  frail  woman.  O  Annis  I  "  I 
says,  a-putting  my  arms  around  her,  "  You  dont 
know  how  glad  he  '11  be  to  see  you.  Jest  you 
wait  till  he  comes  and  see !  Jest  you  wait  and 
see  I  Why  he  'd  never  forgive  me  if  I  let  you 
go  away  on  a  night  like  this !  " 

"  I  been  ahoping,  "  she  says,  kind  of  hesi- 
tating, "  that  he  'd  forgive  all  I  done  and  would 
bid  me  good-by.  That 's  why  I  come.  I  know 
if  he  wouldent  forgive  me  God  never  will,  for 
nobody  could  ever  be  more  good  and  kind  than 
Teddy  Jo." 

She  was  sipping  some  ginger  tea  I  'd  fixed  up 
for  her  and  she  says,  looking  over  the  cup  a 
little  more  hopefull, 

'  When  Ted  talks  about  me  does  he  speak 
as  if  he  would  welcome  me  if  I  ever  come 
here?" 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  He  aint  ever  said  he  wouldent,"  I  answered. 

"  Has  he  ever  told  you  of  any  messidge 
Mother  left  for  me  when  she  was  adying  — 
any  message  about  forgiving  me  —  for  all  I  'd 
run  away  and  broke  her  heart?  " 

"  Annis,"  I  says,  u  your  mother  never  knew 
you  run  away.  She  believed  all  you  wrote  in 
your  lettar  and  she  had  nothing  but  loving 
words  for  you  and  was  oh!  so  proud  of  your 
memory." 

She  gapsed  a  little  at  this  and  says,  "  How 
good  he  was  to  keep  it  from  her!  How  good 
he  was  —  to  her!  " 

"  Now,  Annis,  little  sister,"  I  says,  "  you 
come  right  into  my  bedroom  and  lay  down  on 
the  bed  till  you  feel  stronger."  I  planned  to 
break  it  to  her  and  her  mother  in  the  morning 
that  they  was  still  alive.  But  as  I  looked  at 
her  it  come  to  me  the  picture  Grammy  'd 
carryed  in  her  mind  so  long,  of  her  little  girl 
in  her  bright  beauty  asliding  down  the  snowy 
hill  and  I  couldent  help  wishing  this  shock  had 
been  spaired  her. 

264 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

But  Annis  says,  "  No,  let  me  stay  here  while 
you  ask  Ted  if  he  could  ever  welcome  me  if 
I  come  to  his  house." 

Jest  then  I  heard  Ed's  key  in  the  lock  and  I 
had  to  consent  to  her  plan,  little  as  I  liked  it. 
I  knew  that  jest  the  sight  of  his  sister,  sick  and 
suffering,  would  melt  his  heart  quicker  than 
any  words  of  mine. 

"  Now  I  like  this  kind  of  a  club-life,"  Ed 
says,  as  I  helped  him  off  with  his  overcoat  and 
brought  his  dressing-gown  and  slippers,  "  where 
they  're  satisfied  with  tips  like  this,"  and  he 
kissed  me.  "  A  club  of  2  is  about  the  right 
size,  seems  to  me,"  and  he  settled  himself  in 
the  big  chair  and  presently  began  to  read  the 
paper  out  loud. 

I  took  up  my  sewing  (  one  of  the  teenty 
dresses  )  and  when  I  'd  got  up  currage  to  do 
it  I  says,  "  Ed,  dear,  I  been  thinking  to-night 
about  Annis." 

He  started.  That  name  hadn't  ever  been 
mentioned  between  us  before. 

"  I  been  athinking,"  I  went  on  with  all  the 
265 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

currage  I  could,  "  I  been  athinking  that  per- 
haps she  's  still  aliving." 

"  I  know  she  's  still  aliving." 

"  O  Ed  !  and  maybe  she  's  sick  or  destituted. 
Hadent  we  ought  to  hunt  her  up,  now  we  're 
so  happy  ourselves  in  this  beautiful  home?" 

"  No,  she  's  neither  poor  nor  sick.  Trust 
her  to  get  and  keep  all  the  soft  things  of  life. 
She  's  sent  Mother  presents  fit  for  a  queen  that 
I  've  burned.  At  last  she  thought  Mother  was 
dead  and  stoped  asending.  I  told  her  never  to 
write  to  me  again  —  that  I  was  done  with  her. 
How  could  I  forget  all  the  sorrer  she  'd  brought 
on  her  old  Mother?  " 

'Was  it  all  on  your  mother's  account?"  I 
darsted  to  say.  "  Want  your  pride  humbled 
and  want  it  that  made  you  suffer  most?" 

'  Jennie,"  he  says,  "  you  dont  know  what  it 
is  to  be  tryed  as  I  Ve  been  tryed.  Nothing  like 
this  has  ever  come  into  your  life,  so  you  mustent 
jedge  me.  You  don't 'know  nothing  about  dis- 
grace." 

"  Ed,"  I  says,  "  you  shair  your  mother  with 
266 


.DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

me  with  all  her  goodness  and  sweetness.  If 
there  is  any  disgrace  about  your  sister  I  want  to 
shair  that  too.  O  let  me  be  truly  your  wife. 
Let  me  share  with  you  in  everything !  " 

"  Never  in  this,"  he  says. 

"  Ed  dear,  dont  you  love  me?  "  Alaying  my 
hand  on  his  shoulder. 

"  I  love  you  and  I  respect  you  too  deeply, 
my  wife,"  he  answers,  "  to  bring  any  shadder  of 
shame  into  your  life.  I  have  no  sister  now. 
If  you  love  me  you  will  remember  that." 

I  heard  a  low  moan.  It  come  from  the 
kitchen  where  I  knew  I  'd  shut  the  door.  She  'd 
unlatched  it  softly,  poor  soul!  and  had  heard 
what  was  said.  I  went  into  the  kitchen  quick 
and  shut  the  door  behind  me.  A  strong  gust 
of  wind  from  out-doors  blew  into  my  face. 
The  outside  door  was  wide  open,  the  snow  was 
awhirling  in  —  and  Annis  was  gone. 

I  rushed  out.     The  storm  was  raging  with 

great  fury  and  the  snow  almost  blinded  me. 

I  run  down  the  steps  and  along  the  street  a- 

hollering,    "Annis!      Annis!    come   back!      O 

267 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

come  back!  "  but  there  want  no  answer  and  if 
I  saw  her  at  all  it  was  jest  a  dark  figger  in  the 
distance  in  the  whirling  snow  that  might  be 
her,  and  then  it  disappeared. 

When  I  come  back  into  the  house,  Ed  was 
jest  acoming  into  the  kitchen  and  when  he  sees 
me  all  covered  with  snow  and  trembling,  he 
draws  me  up  to  the  stove  and  brushes  the  snow 
off  of  my  hair  and  dress  and  says: 

"  You  little  goose !  alwers  doing  other 
people's  work!  What  odds  does  it  make  if 
the  milk-cans  do  blow  over  into  the  snow.  Let 
the  milkman  find  his  own  cans  in  the  morning. 
I  can't  let  my  wife  get  chilled  like  this." 

Worst  of  all  was  me  having  a  secret  from 
him.  I  thought  of  Lyddy  Rogers  and  the  lie 
she  'd  told  her  father  about  the  money  to  make 
his  last  days  days  of  peace  and  I  was  glad  I  'd 
never  j edged  her.  I  knew  now  jest  how  she 
felt  about  deceiving  him  even  if  it  was  to  pre- 
vent him  suffering  and  I  'd  give  all  I  Ve  got 
in  the  world  to-night  if  I  could  say,  "  It  want 
the  milk  cans,  Ed;  it  was  Annis." 
268 


DECEMBER  the  i4th. 

TO-DAY  was  Annis's  funerell. 

I  must  go  back  to  that  terrible  night  when  I 
had  my  first  secret  from  Ed  (  my  only  secret 
from  him  as  long  as  we  live  —  I  know  that 
now  )  and  I  set  up  all  night  aworrying  about 
her.  I  wisht  I  'd  had  more  faith  in  the  Father 
and  had  n't  worryed  at  all.  I  aint  ever  going 
to  doubt  his  love  and  care  again  —  never! 

Next  day  I  was  sent  for  to  go  to  the  hospittle 
quick  as  I  could  as  a  woman  there  wished  to 
see  me.  I  knew  who  it  must  be  but  I  only 
told  Mame  a  woman  at  the  hospittle  had  sent 
for  me  (  and  there  was  two  I  was  avisiting 
there  straight  along,  she  did  n't  think  nothing 
of  it  ),  and  as  it  was  Saturday  and  Ed  might 
be  home  early,  to  tell  him  where  I  'd  gone. 
I  packed  a  small  basket  with  daintys  and  was 
jest  astarting  out  when  Grammy  was  took  with 
a  sinking  spell.  I  did  n't  darst  to  leave  her  and 
269 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

you  can  guess  how  I  felt,  not  knowing  which 
one  was  most  likely  to  be  took  away  that  very 
day  —  Annis  or  her  mother  —  and  both  nead- 
ing  me  and  depending  on  me. 

Granny's  health  has  settled  down  as  good 
as  you  could  expect  for  any  one  her  years  and  all 
the  sickness  she  's  passed  through.  Soon  after 
she  came  she  says  to  me  one  day  very  grave, 
"  Jennie,  I  got  something  to  tell  you  that  you 
must  n't  tell  Edward  Joseph  on  account  of  it 
being  an  unplessant  disapointment  and  surprise 
if  he  ever  got  wind  of  it.  It 's  something," 
she  says,  "  that  he  thinks  is  so  but  it  aint.  And 
he  's  so  proud  of  it  and  I  Ve  heard  him  kind  of 
braging  on  it  that  I  Ve  about  made  up  my  mind 
I  wouldn't  tell  him." 

"What  is  it,  Granny?" 

"  It  is,  Jennie,"  (very  sollem)  "  that  my 
appendicks  aint  there." 

'  You  don't  say!  But  they  was  n't  any  good 
to  you,  was  they?  " 

"  No,  it  aint  that.  Even  the  most  thrifty 
aint  found  a  use  for  appendicks  yet,  I  guess. 
270 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

It  aint  that.  But  its  on  account  of  Edward 
Joseph  being  so  proud  of  me  aholding  on  to 
them  all  this  time." 

"'My  mother's  been  an  invalid  most  19 
years,'  I  Ve  heard  him  say,  more  than  once 
'  and  she  has  underwent  many  various  kinds 
of  operations  from  first  to  last,  but  among 
them  all  she  's  kep  her  appendicks  intack.' 

"  But  I  aint.  They  told  me  last  time  I  was 
operated  on  that  they  'd  took  the  liberty  to  re- 
move 'em." 

And  Ed  is  right.  It  is  remarkable  now  if 
anybody  reaches  an  advancitated  age  and  man- 
iging  to  keep  their  appendicks  to  the  end.  Last 
month  a  smart  healthy  young  feller  in  the  office 
had  to  have  his  appendicks  removed  and  Ed 
was  chose  by  the  company  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

But  all  we  Ve  got  to  worry  about  now  is 
her  heart  and  there  aint  nothing  to  do  for  that 
when  it  dont  act  but  jest  to  keep  her  quiet  and 
give  her  her  medisen,  hoping  it  wont  prove 
fatal,  though  thinking  it  probbably  will. 

It  seems  (but  I  did  n't  know  this  till  after- 
271 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

wards  )  that  while  I  was  with  Granny  in  her 
bed-room  with  the  door  shut  so  to  keep  out 
every  sound  —  I  knew  all  anybody  could  do 
for  her  was  to  keep  her  quiet  and  give  her  her 
drops  —  it  seems  Mame  saw  Ed  acoming  in 
and  she  give  him  my  message,  adding  as  she 
saw  the  basket  in  the  entry  all  packed,  "  But 
I  guess  she  forgot  her  basket." 

"  I  '11  take  it  there,"  says  Ed,  "  and  then  I 
can  walk  home  with  her." 

And  he  grabed  up  the  basket  and  went  off 
with  that  gay  whistle  of  his,  aswinging  it  round 
so  that  Mame  said  she  was  afraid  the  jelly  'd 
all  spill  out  of  it. 

Mrs.  Tortrum  was  in  Mame  's  at  the  time 
and  she  says  as  she  see  him  amarching  gayly 
off,  "  Aint  he  the  most  tickled  man  you  ever  see 
to  do  anything  for  Jennie !  " 

But  he  want  awhistling  when  he  come  back. 
Grammy  had  revived  up  and  I  was  jest  agoing 
to  ask  Mame  to  set  with  her  while  I  went  to 
the  hospittle  when  he  come  in.  It  did  n't  sound 
like  his  step,  but  it  was  him.  When  I  looked 
272 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

at  his  face  I  knew  something  terrible  had  hap- 
pened. 

"  Ed,  Ed  !  "  I  cried,  "  What  is  it?  Have 
you  been  hurt?  " 

"  Annis  is  dead,"  he  says,  as  he  sunk  into  a 
chair.  "  Annis  is  dead,  and  it  was  me  closed 
her  eyes.  I  aint  deserved  it  but  God  let  me  do 
that  —  he  let  me  close  her  eyes."  He  shud- 
dered, and  then  he  says,  "  I  took  your  basket 
to  the  hospittle  because  I  thought  you  'd  gone 
there  and  forgot  it.  I  was  alooking  for  you  in 
the  ward  when  this  poor  miserable  woman  that 
I  did  n't  know  held  out  her  arms  to  me  as  she 
laid  in  her  bed  and  cries,  *O  Ted,  Ted!  I 
knew  you  'd  come !  I  knew  you  'd  come !  ' 

"  I  could  n't  believe  it  was  Annis  —  but  there 
was  the  short  upper  lip  —  all  the  pretty  white 
teeth  gone  —  and  a  little  wave  still  in  the  hair 
that  had  grown  so  thin  and  gray. 

"  I  set  down  beside  her  and  the  tears  blinded 
me  so  I  could  hardly  see,  and  I  told  her  she 
must  n't  talk,  but  I  would  stay  right  there  with 
her  till  she  felt  stronger. 

18  273 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  '  Dont  ever  leave  me,  Ted,'  "  she  says. 
"  *  Dont  leave  me  till  —  till  it 's  all  over.'  " 

"  And  I  did  n't.  The  nurse  said  it  would 
be  better  for  her  to  tell  what  was  on  her  mind, 
and  so  between  faint  gasps  —  she  was  awful 
weak  —  she  told  all  her  sad  story.  I  can't 
go  over  it  now,  Wife,  but  you  shall  hear  it  as 
soon  as  I  can  bear  to  repeat  it. 

"  She  sent  love  and  good-by  to  you,  and  she 
said  she  was  glad  I  had  sech  a  wife  that  would 
make  up  to  me  for  all  she  'd  made  me  suffer. 
Me  suffer!  It 's  her  that 's  been  made  to  suf- 
fer beyond  anything  I  can  ever  know  —  my 
poor,  pretty  little  sister!  " 

When  he  could  controle  his  voice  he  went  on, 

"  After  that  she  sank  into  a  stuper,  and  I 
set  there  aholding  her  hand  and  stroking  back 
the  poor  hair,  and  then  she  kind  of  wandered 
off.  *  Get  out  the  sled  for  me,  Teddy  Jo, 
quick  I  '  she  says  sudden-like ;  *  I  'm  agoing  to 
steer  it  myself  this  morning.' 

"  The  last  thing  she  done  was  to  raise  her 
hand  very  feeble  and  to  say,  '  Take  aholt  of 
274 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

my  hand,  Teddy  Jo,  it 's  agrowin'  so  dark,  and 
help  me  —  over  the  rocks  home  —  home.'  ' 

Then  he  sunk  his  head  on  his  arms  on  the 
table  and  shook  with  great  sobs  like  I  had  n't 
ever  see  a  man  do  before.  And  because  his 
mother  must  n't  know,  I  had  to  be  mother  and 
wife  both  to  him  and  comfort  him  all  I  could. 


275 


DECEMBER  22th. 

I  AINT  had  time  to  write  for  a  long  time.  I 
wouldent  let  Ed  tell  me  Annis's  story  till  he  was 
able  to  go  through  it  without  breaking  down. 
When  he  was  calm  enough  he  told  it.  Mal- 
colm Treverton  married  her.  Mrs.  Walcott 
made  him  do  that,  threatening  to  cut  off  his 
allowance  she  give  him  if  he  did  n't.  They 
lived  awhile  in  great  lugsury  but  soon  after  her 
baby  was  born  —  "  It  was  a  little  girl,  Ted," 
she  said,  "  and  I  named  her  for  Mother  "  — 
soon  after  the  baby  was  born  he  deserted  her 
and  after  a  few  months  he  died.  She  learned 
then  he  'd  squandered  all  his  fortune  and  then 
she  started  in  to  earn  her  living  and  the  child's, 
too  proud-sperrited  to  ask  for  any  help.  But 
she  wan't  very  strong.  When  Mrs.  Walcott 
see  the  little  girl  she  took  a  great  notion  to  her 
—  saying  she  was  like  their  folks  —  and  she 
wanted  her  to  go  there  for  a  vissit.  She  kep 
276 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

her  a  long  time  and  when  the  little  thing  went 
away  again  her  Aunt  was  so  lonesome  without 
her  she  wanted  her  back,  saying  she  would 
give  her  a  good  home  and  Annis  could  come  as 
often  as  she  wished  to  see  her. 

It  jest  about  broke  Annis's  heart  to  part  with 
her  baby,  but  she  loved  the  child  better  than  she 
did  herself  and  she  couldent  bear  to  refuse  for 
her  the  home  where  she  was  surrounded  by 
love  as  well  as  every  comfort  and  care  —  espe- 
cielly  as  her  own  health  was  so  unserten,  and  so 
she  give  her  up.  I  guess  no  one  can  ever  guess 
what  it  cost  her.  She  did  n't  vissit  her  offen 
(think  of  vissiting  your  own  little  child!)  be- 
cause it  was  sech  torcher  to  leave  her  again. 
Little  Lois  jest  woshipped  her  mother  and  her 
vissits  was  her  hapiest  times,  so  Annis  had  that 
one  comfort. 

Well,  she  struggled  on  alone  till  then,  when 
the  battle  was  over.  But  Mrs.  Wolcott  had 
jest  died,  the  home  was  broke  up,  and  Lois 
was  with  strangers. 

"  And  oh  Ted!  "  says  Annis,  "  if  you  would 
277 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

only  let  her  live  with  you  till  she  's  a  little  older ! 
I  would  pass  out  happy  if  you  would  grant  that ! 
She  's  a  good  girl.  She  would  never  give  you 
the  trouble  her  mother  did." 

"  Annis,"  says  Ed,   "  jest  as  long   as  ever 

we  Ve  got  a  home  it 's  agoing  to  be  your  child's 

i,         .    .  ,, 

jest  as  much  as  it  is  ours. 

She  hove  a  long  happy  sigh.    Then  she  says, 

"And  your  wife?  " 

"  If  you  knew  Jennie,"  he  says,  "  you  'd  know 
she  'd  say  the  same  thing  —  and  she  'd  say  it 
first." 

So  we  Ve  sent  for  Annis's  daughter  and  she  's 
acoming  to-morrer.  Granny  can't  hardly  wait 
till  she  gets  here.  She  keeps  atalking  about 
her  and  awondering  if  she  don  't  look  jest  like 
her  mother  used  to.  And  she  watches  the 
clock  and  says,  "  This  time  to-morrer  she  '11 
be  here,  wont  she?  "  And  she  's  got  out  her 
best  black  dress  to  meet  her  in. 

I  hope  Grammy  wont  be  disappointed.  Little 
Lois  has  been  brought  up  in  a  rich  home  and  I 
guess  she  aint  ever  seen  any  plain-living  people 
278 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

to  speak  of.  I  hope  she  wont  feel  the  differance 
too  much. 

We  have  fixed  up  jest  as  nice  as  we  can,  and 
Ed  has  hired  a  peanner  for  her.  I  know  that  '11 
please  her  and  there  's  lots  of  little  things  we 
can  get  along  without  so  we  wont  mind  the  ex- 
try  expence.  It 's  a  Katzen  &  Blimmer  and  it 
aint  scratched  up  or  mutilated  hardly  any  but 
is  in  quite  nice  condition.  The  cheaf  care  is 
keaping  the  little  boys  away  from  it  so  it  wont 
get  more  so. 

I  hope  she  can  play  the  Java  March. 


279 


PROVIDENCE,  December  17. 
Lois  has  come. 

What  a  wonderfull  thing  a  human  being 
would  be  to  us  if  there  wan't  so  many  of  them. 
If  it  was  only  given  us  to  see  a  fresh  one  say 
every  ten  years  I  guess  there  'd  be  as  much 
interest  in  them,  as  a  new  mowing  machine  or 
wringer,  comparing  them  with  the  few  others 
we  knew  and  watching  what  they  'd  do  and 
say. 

We  felt  kind  of  like  that  about  Lois.  We 
been  wondering  if  she  would  be  little  and  pretty 
like  her  mother  or  cute  and  bright  like  Ed  or 
handsome  and  fassenating  and  good-for-nothing 
like  her  father,  or  staitly  and  high-toned  like 
her  Aunt  Wolcott,  or  jest  plain  good  clear 
through  like  Granny  or  perhaps  have  a  little 
dash  of  each  one.  But  Ed  said  there  's  no  count- 
ing on  sech  things.  He  says  it 's  like  uniting 
280 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

various  ellyments  in  a  chemickle  labartory 
where  it  makes  something  differant  from  any- 
one of  them.  "  Now  you  take  that  metal  so- 
dium," he  says,  "  and  unite  it  with  cloreen,  a 
deadly  pizen,  what  have  you  got?  Is  it  some- 
thing pizen  or  something  hard?  Taint  neither 
one.  It 's  salt  that  we  eat  every  day  of  our 
lives." 

And  it  is  jest  as  he  said.  The  strong  Spinney 
metal  and  the  Malcolm  Treverton  pizen  had 
prodooced  our  Lois,  the  salt  of  the  earth.  She 
is  jest  beautiful,  tall  and  calm  and  sweet,  and  the 
kind  that  can  be  depended  on  every  time  from 
answering  a  letter  to  seeing  that  the  vegetables 
don't  boil  dry.  Mr.  Oglevie,  the  minister,  has 
seen  her  and  he  says,  "  Lois  Treverton  has  got 
character  and  strenth  in  her  face  if  there  ever 
was  one."  She  seems  older  than  her  17  years 
because  she  's  so  stayed  and  dignified.  As  soon 
as  Mandy  caught  sight  of  her  she  run  and  put 
the  best  sugar-bowl  on  the  table.  She  's  that 
kind.  She  brings  out  the  best  in  your  cubbard 
and  the  best  in  you.  As  for  Bub  and  Gussy's 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

manners  since  she  come  they  seem  kind  of  un- 
natural they  're  so  improved.  In  room  of  com- 
ing into  the  house  hooting  and  yelling  and 
rampaging  round  they  go  and  get  their  slippers 
same  as  they  never  would  before.  When  Jim 
sees  them  adoing  it  he  looks  awful  sorrerfull 
and  worried  and  says,  "  I  guess  we  aint  agoing 
to  have  our  little  boys  with  us  a  great  spell 
longer." 

She  got  here  a  couple  of  hours  before  Ed 
come  home  from  the  office.  He  knew  she  'd 
come  but  when  this  tall  young  woman  in  her 
heavy  mourning  entered  the  room  and  we  said, 
"  This  is  Annis's  daughter,"  I  know  his  heart 
was  full  to  busting  because  all  he  could  say  was 
as  he  took  the  hand  she  held  out  to  him,  "  Was 
you  any  carsick  on  your  trip?  " 

We  was  all  more  or  less  in  awe  of  her  at  first 
but  that 's  wearing  away  now  that  we  Ve  found 
how  happy  she  is  to  be  with  her  own  kin.  She 
jest  worshipped  her  mother  and  she  says  we 
can't  ever  know  what  it  is  to  her  to  be  aliving 
with  her  folks.  She  tells  us  it  has  always  been 
282 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

her  plan  ever  since  she  was  a  dite  of  a  thing  to 
make  a  home  for  her  mother  and  take  care  of 
her  when  she  grew  up  and  jest  them  two  live 
together.  She  said  there  was  always  a  cold- 
ness between  her  Aunt  Wolcott  and  her  mother. 
"  And  I  think,"  she  says  to-day,  "  it  was  be- 
cause no  matter  how  much  Aunt  Anna  did  for 
me  I  always  loved  Mother  best.  If  I  'd  been 
Aunt  Anna's  own  child  she  could  n't  have  done 
more  for  me  and  it  always  made  me  a  little  un- 
happy that  I  did  n't  love  her  as  she  did  me. 
O,  how  different  it  is  being  with  my  own  dear 
mother's  people.  No  fear  ever  about  me  lov- 
ing you  all  enough."  And  she  stole  up  gently 
to  her  uncle  Ed  and  laid  her  cheek  loving 
against  his. 

The  two  Loises  is  great  friends.  "  Grand- 
mother," she  often  says  (she  never  calls  her 
Granny  like  the  rest  of  us  )  "  Grandmother, 
tell  me  more  about  that  pretty  little  mother  of 
mine  and  all  her  conquests."  which  Granny  is 
tickled  enough  to  do,  you  may  be  sure.  Then 
Lois  loves  to  wait  out  on  her,  too.  Yesterday 
283 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

I  heard  Granny  say  to  her,  "  Lois,  run  get  my 
teeth.  The  minister  's  acoming,"  jest  as  she  'd 
say  it  to  me. 

She  can  play  the  Java  March.    And  further- 
more than  that  she  has  got  a  lovely  voice  to  sing. 


284 


PROVIDENCE,  January  6. 
PLESSANT. 

Lois  has  started  in  going  to  Pembroke.  It 's 
the  same  as  Brown  only,  as  Ed  says,  a  little 
lighter  shade  of  Brown. 

He  calls  it  Caffy  O'Lay. 

Her  gardeen  that  lives  in  Philadelphy  named 
Mr.  Knapp  advised  her  to  go  to  Bryn  Mawr 
but  she  would  n't  hear  tell  to  leaving  us.  She  's 
awful  fond  of  her  books  and  I  know  she  wont 
never  be  happy  without  she  attaigns  the  very 
highest  notch  on  the  sea  of  life.  She  puts  in 
to  her  studys  like  all  possessed  and  there  dont 
seem  to  be  no  limmit  to  her  boundless  ambition 
especielly  in  sciance. 

Jim  says  he  expects  she  's  already  the  whole 
shooting-match  up  there. 

"  Should  n't  wonder,"  says  Ed,  "  seeing  how 
she  's  studying  triggernometry." 

285 


PROVIDENCE,  Jan.  20. 

SPLENDIDEST  day  as  ever  was. 

Had  fryed  scallops  for  supper.  Enjoyed 
very  much  by  all.  Sis  has  took  the  shells  to 
paint  views  on.  Ed  says  she  can't  ever  put 
sech  a  pretty  view  on  them  as  what  nacher 
did.  Is  very  fond  of  scallops. 


286 


PROVIDENCE,  Febuerry  4. 

ANOTHER  happy,  happy  day,  more  beautiful 
than  any  other  yet.  I  don't  see  how  I  'm  going 
to  mannage  to  be  any  more  happy  than  what  I 
am  now,  but  yet  I  know  I  'm  agoing  to  be.  I 
must  pass  around  all  I  can  of  it  —  I  know  that. 

Am  still  arassling  with  the  grammar.  Have 
come  to  parsing  now.  Make  mistakes  once 
and  awhile.  The  hardest  of  all  to  coap  with 
is  the  pronouns,  it 's  sech  a  job  going  back  and 
finding  out  the  antecedents  to  all  of  them. 

It  makes  me  think  of  the  folks  that 's  alwers 
agoing  back  and  hunting  up  their  antecedents. 
Nouns  stand  on  their  own  merits,  as  you  might 
say,  and  you  dont  have  to  look  back  of  'em. 
I  said  something  like  this  to  Sis  and  I  says,  "  Sis, 
through  your  life  always  be  a  noun." 

Ed  says  folks  in  general  is  fond  of  digging 
up  their  ancestors  unless  they  're  Mary  Ann- 
cestors. 

287 


PROVIDENCE,  Febuerry  4. 

LATE  this  afternoon  right  in  the  midst  of  the 
shower  a  young  Brown  student  came  to  see 
Lois  and  go  over  her  lessons  with  her.  He  'd 
got  caught  in  the  shower  and  his  close  was 
souching  wet. 

"  Bring  your  friend,  Lois,"  I  called  out, 
"  right  out  here  in  the  kitcen  where  he  can  dry 
his  close."  We  had  a  good  fire  there  as  it 's 
been  pretty  chilly  to-day  and  Granny  and  I  was 
asewing  carpet-rags.  "  Now  you  take  your  coat 
right  off,"  I  says,  "  and  I  '11  dry  it  by  the  stove 
and  you  take  your  feet  and  put  them  right  here 
in  the  oven  and  dry  them  too.  And  I  moved 
the  bean-pot  along  so  he  could  put  his  feet  in. 
And  Granny  says,  "  Dear  me.  I  hope  you  wont 
take  no  cold.  A  cold  that 's  took  this  season  o' 
the  year  is  more  than  apt  to  hang  on  the  whole 
winter.  But  you  look  strong  and  rugged.  I 
guess  you  '11  weather  it  through." 
288 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

The  young-man  laughed.  "  I  am  strong  and 
rugged,"  he  says,  and  seemed  awful  pleased 
when  Lois  said  he  stood  very  high  in  athalet- 
tics.  He  's  a  handsome  young  feller  as  ever 
was  and  a  great  hand  to  joke  and  laugh.  What 
did  he  do  after  he  'd  been  there  a  spell  but  go 
to  winding  Granny's  rag  balls  for  her  and  was 
jest  as  nice  and  sochable  as  you  'd  wish  to  see. 

"Do  you  go  to  college?"  Granny  says. 

"  Yeh,  senior  at  Brown." 

"  No,"  says  Granny,  "  you  aint  ever  seen 
me  there  because  I  aint  ever  been  there.  But 
I  'm  agoing  some  day  with  Lois." 

'  You  're  acoming  with  Miss  Treverton  to 
tea  in  my  rooms,  —  that  is,  if  you  'd  like  to. 
I  wont  forget  to  send  you  an  invitation." 

She  told  him  she  guessed  she  was  getting  a- 
long  too  much  in  years  to  go  to  sech  things,  but 
you  could  see  how  pleased  she  was  at  his  soshi- 
ble  talk. 

We  was  having  sech  a  plessant  time  there 
round  the  stove  that  he  did  n't  want  to  leave 
and  asked  Lois  if  she  would  n't  make  molasses 

'9  289 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

candy  if  he  would  help.  So  I  got  out  the 
spider  and  set  it  on  to  boil.  Lois  aint  much  of 
a  cook  yet  but  we  all  helped  and  it  came  out 
first  rate,  and  we  worked  it  till  the  sticks  was 
jest  the  color  of  Lois's  hair. 

No,  Lois  don't  know  much  about  cooking 
but  she  's  real  set  on  it  to  learn.  I  let  her  make 
the  bread  once  and  it  turned  out  sour.  But 
when  she  said  it  had  got  to  be  throwed  away 
Ed  says,  "  No,  don't  do  that.  Let 's  make  lem- 
onade of  it." 

And  once  when  I  went  to  the  Woman's 
Releaf  Core  she  got  supper  all  herself.  She 
did  n't  have  very  good  luck  with  the  things 
and  there  was  n't  much  of  them  et.  But 
Granny  says, 

"  Never  mind,  dear,  Benjamin  Franklin  says 
you  must  rize  up  from  the  table  with  as  good  an 
appertite  as  you  set  down." 

"  But  how  can  you  do  that,"  says  Ed,  "  when 
the  stuff  on  the  table  takes  your  appertite 
away?  " 

By  the  time  they  was  about  through  supper 
290 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

(sech  as  it  was)  Lois  found  the  baked  pota- 
ters  was  done  at  last.  She  had  n't  put  them 
in  the  oven  soon  enough  and  left  the  damper 
down  at  that,  but  now  they  was  done  and  she 
fetched  them  on. 

"  It 's  too  soon  after  supper,  thank  you," 
says  her  uncle  Ed.  "  I  don't  eat  between 
meals."  They  was  supposed  to  go  with  the 
cold  beef,  but  he  said  that  wan't  nothing  but 
a  memery  by  that  time. 

Yes,  he  loves  to  plague  her  but  she  takes  it 
very  nice  and  she  says  she  aint  agoing  to  get 
discurraged. 

The  young  feller's  name  is  Dorr  Edgerly  and 
Granny  says,  "  I  wonder  if  you  're  any  relation 
to  the  Edgerlys  down  our  way.  I  hope  you 
aint  because  they  was  as  mizzable  a  set  as  you  'd 
wish  to  see  in  a  day's  journey  —  no  gumption 
and  no  sprawl  —  used  to  steal  rides  on  the  stage 
—  never  paid  the  minnister  and  even  wanted 
to  steal  their  way  to  Heaven." 

Dorr  throwed  back  his  head  and  laughed 
and  laughed  and  let  the  ball  he  was  awinding 
291 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

roll  over  the  floor  till  it  got  unwound  again 
and  the  cat  was  tangling  herself  up  in  it. 

While  Lois  was  astraightening  things  out 
(  he  was  awatching  her  all  the  time  —  she  done 
it  so  pretty  and  graceful  )  he  asked  for  more 
detales  about  these  possible  kinspeople,  as  he 
called  them.  So  Granny  talked  away  while  she 
sewed  and  I  cut  out.  And  before  he  thought 
of  Lois's  lessons  again  it  was  time  to  get  supper. 
Of  course  we  asked  him  to  stay  and  he  would  n't 
go  into  the  settin'-room  like  company  at  all  but 
vowed  he  'd  help  fry  the  potaters  while  Lois 
made  the  toast.  She  did  n't  make  it  very  good. 
In  the  midst  of  it  baby  David  who  had  tod- 
dled in  fell  against  the  stove  and  burnt  himself 
cryed  as  loud  as  he  could  and  I  caught  him  up 
and  give  him  a  piece  of  the  toast,  first  biting 
off  the  places  that  was  burned.  And  Dorr 
talked  to  him  and  whistled  to  him  till  he  for- 
got all  about  being  hurt.  He  's  got  an  awfull 
nice  way  with  children.  That  's  plain.  Him 
and  Ed  had  a  good  time  at  the  table  with  their 
jokes.  He  set  right  acrost  from  Lois  and  by 
292 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

the  way  he  looked  at  her  I  guess  he  was  athink- 
ing  would  n't  it  be  nice  if  they  could  set  that 
way  in  a  home  of  their  own.  But  there.  Lois 
is  too  young  to  think  of  getting  married  yet. 
She  '11  have  to  learn  to  cook  first. 

Well,  in  the  evening  they  settled  down  at 
their  books  in  good  shape  and  got  a  lot  of 
studying  done.  I  don't  know  when  I  've  seen 
a  young-feller  I  like  as  well  as  I  do  him  and 
Granny  the  same. 


PROVIDENCE,  March  5. 

Lois  has  got  something  on  her  mind.  She  's 
alosing  all  her  pretty  color  and  she  don't  eat 
scarcely  anything.  I  Ve  asked  her  what  it  is 
and  she  says  very  gentle, 

"  It  is  nothing,  Aunt  Jennie.  You  need  n't 
worry  about  me." 

But  it  is  something  and  Ed  has  begun  to  no- 
tice it,  too.  But  what  it  is  we  can't  either  of  us 
sense.  She  's  getting  along  beautifull  in  her 
studys.  The  professors  are  always  giving  her 
H.  And  she  can't  be  mizzable  over  any  love 
matter  because  all  there  is  is  Dorr  Edgerly  and 
it  dont  take  a  magnifying  glass  to  see  he  's 
jest  crazy  over  her  and  she  don't  seem  to  care 
for  him  excep  in  a  friendly  way. 

He  comes  here  often  now  and  we  're  alwers 
glad  to  see  him,  he  's  sech  fine  company,  and 
makes  himself  to  home  jest  like  one  of  the 
fambly. 

294 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Aunt  Jennie,"  he  says  to  me  yesterday, 
"  want  to  sew  up  this  rip  in  my  shoulder?  " 

Course  I  wanted  to  and  he  knew  it  and  sewed 
two  buttens  on  that  was  jest  ahanging. 

And  if  he  feels  like  a  ginger  snap  or  a  turn- 
over he  knows  where  to  find  one. 

His  mother  must  miss  him  pretty  bad  off 
there  in  New  York. 


295 


PROVIDENCE,  Mar.  10. 

Lois  is  more  down  than  ever.  She  hardly 
talks  at  all  excep  when  she  sees  we  're  awatch- 
ing  her  and  then  makes  an  efforte  to  cherk  up. 
I  been  cooking  up  a  lot  of  nice  little  things  to 
temp  her  appertite  and  she  is  grateful  and  takes 
up  her  spoon  or  fork  and  tries  to  eat  them. 
But  you  can  see  her  heart  aint  in  it. 

Last  night  her  uncle  Ed  was  reading  the  pa- 
per out  loud  to  us  as  he  alwers  does  evenings 
and  he  'd  started  in  on  a  piece  about  some  of  the 
fellers  up  to  Brown  cribbing  and  you  'd  think 
that  would  interest  her,  as  bad  as  she  'd  feel 
about  it,  but  she  riz  up  right  in  the  middle  of  it 
and  said  she  guessed  she  'd  go  to  bed. 

Poor  motherless  girl  I  she  's  asuffering  and 
there  's  no  one  to  help  her  if  her  uncle  Ed  and 
I  can't.  I  went  into  her  room  after  she  'd  gone 
to  bed.  She  was  alaying  very  still  with  her  face 
to  the  wall  but  I  knew  she  was  n't  asleep.  Her 
296 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

lovely,  reddish-brown  hair  caught  the  light  from 
my  lamp  and  looked  like  red  gold  astreaming 
over  the  piller.  I  could  n't  see  her  face. 

One  of  her  soft  white  arms  was  flung  out 
bare  and  was  alaying  acrost  a  mistake  in  the 
quilt  that  her  mother  made  when  she  was  a  little 
thing.  The  pattern  is  Indian  review  and  kind 
of  a  mixing  pattern  anyway  for  a  child.  Granny 
says  for  all  she  had  the  loveliest  pieces  for  it 
that  folks  had  give  her,  she  got  them  together 
wrong.  "  And  before  I  took  notice  of  it," 
she  says,  "  the  folks  at  the  bee  quilted  it  in  and 
it  could  n't  be  changed." 

And  there  it  is  all  quilted  in,  too  late  to  be 
changed,  but  her  child's  white  arm  was  cover- 
ing it. 

"  Lois,"  I  says  very  softly,  "  Lois,  wont 
you  tell  Aunt  Jennie  what 's  on  your  mind? 
Or  if  you  'd  ruther  not  tell  aint  there  some  way 
she  can  help  you  without  knowing  what  it 's 
about?" 

She  give  a  quick  deep  sob  but  she  did  n't  turn 
her  head. 

297 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  No,  Aunt  Jennie,"  she  says  at  last.  "  You 
can't  help  me." 

So  I  drawed  the  quilt  up  over  her  arm  and 
neck  and  jest  patted  her  kind  of  loving  and  come 
away. 


298 


PROVIDENCE,  March  15. 

THAT  cribbing  has  made  a  lot  of  excitement  and 
the  ten  boys  that  done  it  have  been  expelled. 
We  can  see  Lois  feels  bad  enough  over  it  even 
when  she  's  so  low  over  something  else.  She 
does  not  talk  about  it  and  seems  to  change  the 
subjeck  if  it  is  mentioned. 

Dorr  Edgerly  called  this  evening  and  brought 
her  some  roses  but  she  had  gone  to  her  room 
and  he  did  n't  see  her.  My!  If  he  did  n't  look 
disappointed.  Ed  has  heard  down  town  that  his 
folks  is  very  rich  and  ristocrattic  in  New  York. 
But  Ed  says  they  aint  any  more  ristocrattic  than 
the  Trevertons  in  Philadelphia,  that  he  knows. 

Lois's  Aunt  Walcott  tried  to  fetch  her  up  to 
be  proud  of  her  Treverton  blood,  but  she 
could  n't  ever  imbue  her  in  any  sech  notion. 
It  want  born  in  her  to  have  any  sech  feelings. 
And  I  guess  it  wan't  in  Dorr  either.  He  was 
so  much  amused  in  hearing  about  the  Edgerlys 
299 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

down  in  Maine  that  Granny  told  about  that 
he  often  says,  when  he  dont  feel  like  work, 

"  Well,  Granny,  I  'm  afeeling  that  Edgerly 
lack  of  sprawl  to-night.  It 's  agetting  more 
and  more  into  my  veins." 

And  Granny  really  looks  worried  about  him 
till  I  tell  her  he  's  only  afooling. 


300 


PROVIDENCE,  March  21. 

PROFESSOR  ENGARDE  of  Brown  was  here  this 
afternoon.  He  's  a  tall  and  awfull  distin- 
guished looking  gentleman  dressed  in  a  black 
suit  about  35  years  old.  He  's  a  great  scollar 
that  has  wrote  a  lot  of  books  on  science.  And 
they  say  he  's  making  a  great  name  for  him- 
self. When  he  said  he  would  like  to  see  Miss 
Treverton  and  give  me  his  card  I  told  him  to 
step  right  into  the  parlor.  And  I  give  him 
the  postal-card  album  to  look  at  while  he  was 
awaiting. 

When  I  told  Lois  he  was  there  she  looked 
kind  of  startled  and  says,  "  O  I  can't  see  him, 
Aunt  Jennie.  I  can't." 

But  when  I  asked  what  I  should  tell  him 
she  thought  better  of  it  and  says,  "  Yes,  yes, 
I  will  see  him.  Tell  him  I  '11  be  down 
301 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

direckly."     So  I  told  him  she  'd  be  down  im- 
mediately if  not  sooner. 

But  she  wan't  down  direckly  nor  for  quite 
a  spell  after  that.  He  had  time  to  look  the 
album  through  a  dozen  times  and  I  wisht 
Granny's  was  there  too  so  he  could  look  at 
that,  too. 

At  last  she  come  down,  even  whiter  than  she 
has  been  before  lately  and  after  speaking  to 
him  set  down  near  the  dining-room  door  where 
I  set  with  the  stockings  which  she  left  wide 
open,  though  he  set  where  he  could  n't  see  me 
—  or  me  him. 

"  Miss  Treverton,"  he  begun,  "  I  have  come 
upon  an  unpleasant  errand.  I  have  come  to 
say  that  I  must  ask  to  be  released  from  a 
promise  I  have  made  to  you.  I  find  I  cannot 
reconcile  it  with  my  idea  of  right." 

"  And  you  are  going  to  break  your  word?  " 

"  I  am."  (I  could  hear  the  regret  in  his 
tones.) 

'  You  are  going  to  expose  Dorr  Edgerly?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  cease  shealding  him.     I  am 
302 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

very  cruelly  placed.  Perhaps  you  will  not  be- 
lieve that  I  am  giving  myself  much  pain  in 
inflicting  this  pain  upon  him  —  and  you." 

"Why,  then,  do  you  do  it?  Is  the  truth 
being  found  out?  " 

"  It  is  not.  Unless  I  speak  it  will  never  be 
found  out.  As  I  say,  it  is  only  my  sense  of 
what  is  right.  I  find  I  cannot  allow  myself 
to  sheald  one  who  is  as  guilty  as  the  others 
who  are  suffering  punishment  and  disgrace.  I 
cannot  hope  that  it  will  lighten  the  blow  for 
you  to  say  that  I  would  suffer  a  great  deal  to 
spare  you  both  this  —  yet  I  have  come  to 
say  it." 

"  Then  why  did  you  give  the  promise 
first?" 

I  had  n't  ever  heard  Lois  speak  so  cold. 

"  Because  it  was  you  who  asked  it.  I  knew 
how  deep  a  regard  Mr.  Edgerly  has  for  you, 
and  it  came  to  me  that  perhaps  if  I  broke 
silence  in  this  matter  it  might  be  the  means 
of  his  losing  you.  I  do  not  wish  to  trouble 
you  with  my  personal  affairs  but  I  will  say  that 
303 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

once  when  I  was  even  younger  than  he,  I  had 
as  tender  a  regard  for  a  beautiful  girl  whom 
I  could  not  win.  My  life  has  been  very  dif- 
ferent from  what  it  might  have  been  because 
of  that  early  disappointment." 

"  You  have  been  very  successful.  You 
have  n't  missed  any  inspiration  she  would  have 
given." 

"  Yes,  success  has  come  to  me  —  success  of 
a  certain  kind,  but  that  does  n't  mean  much  if 
you  cannot  share  it  —  if  there  is  no  one  par- 
ticularly close  to  you  to  whom  it  would  be 
success  as  well.  It  sounds  trite  and  artificial, 
I  know,  but  I  feel  that  I  should  have  pre- 
ferred failure  —  with  her."  He  paused  and 
then  went  on.  "  And  so  I  tried  not  to  cast 
such  a  shadow  upon  another's  life.  I  have 
always  liked  Edgerly.  My  impulse  was  not 
to  spoil  his  life  for  him  when  you  came  and 
interceded  for  him." 

Lois  had  taken  one  of  Dorr's  roses  from  the 
vase  on  the  table  beside  her  and  was  absently 
304 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

pulling  it  to  pieces.    The  pretty  red  pettles  was 
scattered  over  her  lap. 

He  broke  the  silence. 

"  Would  you  prefer,"  he  said,  "  that  I  say 
to  Mr.  Edgerly  that  the  truth  must  be  told  and 
give  him  the  chance  to  confess?  Would  that 
be  less  painful  for  you?" 

"  For  me?  " 

"  For  you  both." 

"  You  will  do  whatever  is  wisest,  I  am  sure, 
Mr.  Engarde." 

There  was  disappointment  in  his  voice  when 
he  said,  "  Then  there  is  nothing  more  to  say?  " 

"  Nothing,  I  think." 

But  he  seemed  to  want  to  linger  round  and 
he  spoke  about  her  studys  and  praised  her  work 
though  she  did  n't  show  much  interest. 

Then  he  says,  "  Is  that  one  of  Mr.  Edg- 
erly's  roses,  Miss  Treverton,  that  you  are 
tearing  to  pieces?"  and  when  she  answered 
that  it  was  he  says,  "  I  would  n't  be  so  cruel 
to  anything  so  beautiful." 
305 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

She  raised  her  lovely  eyes  to  him  then. 

"  You  seem  to  have  great  pity —  for  roses," 
she  said. 

Then  he  riz  up  and  held  out  his  hand  as 
he  said  good-by,  but  she  was  alooking  down 
on  the  bare  seed-vessel  on  the  rose's  stalk  and 
did  n't  see  it. 

"  Good-by,"  she  said. 

And  then  he  went  away. 

Lois  came  out  to  me  her  eyes  ashining. 

"  O  I  'm  so  glad,  so  glad,  so  glad!  " 

"  Glad?  " 

"  Yes.  For  me  he  was  agoing  to  do  some- 
thing mean  —  I  know  it  would  be  the  first 
meanness  of  his  life.  O  it  was  so  dreadful, 
Aunt  Jennie.  You  know  a  woman  had  ought 
to  inspire  a  man  to  high  and  noble  things  and 
I  was  drawring  him  down  to  a  lower  standard 
—  or  I  thought  I  was.  I  ought  to  have  known 
I  couldn't." 

"  But  what  made  you  ask  him  to  do  what 
you  didn't  want  him  to  do?" 
306 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Because  it  was  the  only  way  I  could  see 
to  help  Dorr  and  I  felt  so  sorry  for  him.  I 
am  very  fond  of  Dorr.  But  he  was  n't  worth 
that.  There  is  n't  anybody  or  anything  in  the 
whole  world  that  could  ever  be  worth  that!  " 

Dear  child!  I  wonder  if  I  don't  know  her 
secret  now. 


307 


PROVIDENCE,  March  23. 

DARK  and  cloudy  with  considdable  humility  in 
the  air. 

In  this  morning's  paper  was  more  big 
headlines. 

Prominent  and  Wealthy  Student  at  Brown 
confesses  to  Cribbing.  Promptly  expelled  etc. 

And  poor  Dorr,  very  much  ashamed,  come 
to  bid  us  good-by.  Granny  did  n't  know  what 
he  was  agoing  for,  thinking  it  was  fambly 
reasons  and  she  says, 

"  Find  out  if  you  can  if  your  folks  is  any 
relation  to  them  down-east  Edgerlys.  It  would 
make  you  seem  nearer  to  us  —  I  vow  but  what 
it  would,  mizzable  and  shiftless  as  they  was." 

He   reely  laughed  at  that,  though  not   ex- 
ackly  same  as  he  's  laughed  before. 
.    "  That  down-east  branch  would  n't  own  me," 
he  says. 

308 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  I  hope  you  '11  do  something  to  make  every 
single  Edgerly  there  is  proud  of  you,"  says 
Granny,  looking  up  from  tying  the  package 
she  was  adoing  up  for  him. 

He  looked  awful  sober  at  that  and  then  he 
says,  all  of  a  sudden, 

"  Yes,  Granny,  I  vow  I  will  if  it 's  a  pos- 
sible thing  —  and  it  aint  too  late,"  he  added 
in  a  tone  too  low  for  her  to  ketch. 

Then  he  shook  hands  all  round  without 
speaking  a  word,  but  the  look  he  give  Lois 
meant  more  than  any  words. 

As  for  us  we  could  n't  feel  much  worse  if 
he  belonged  to  us. 


309 


PROVIDENCE,  March  24,  5  p.  M. 

As  pretty  a  snow  storm  as  ever  I  saw  though 
late  in  the  season,  so  calm  and  soft  and  still 
and  the  flakes  so  big  you  can  pick  a  single  one 
out  in  the  air  and  watch  where  its  agoing  to 
light  same  as  if  it  was  a  bird.  And  the  houses 
and  the  streets  and  everything  it  covers  is  jest 
beautiful.  Lois  is  asetting  by  the  winder  and 
looking  out  at  it.  She  's  awearing  one  of  her 
pretty,  soft  white  woolen  house  dresses  and 
the  thought  comes  to  me  as  she  sets  there,  her 
young  face  close  to  the  winder  looking  so 
thoughtful  out  that  the  snow  might  look  in  at 
whiteness  as  white  as  its  own  self. 

She  's  been  to  home  all  day  because  she  has 
took  a  cold  and  I  wouldn't  let  her  go  up  to 
the  colledge.  She  's  been  astudying  but  now 
she 's  stopped  and  she  makes  sech  a  lovely 
picture  asetting  there  that  I  have  to  keep  alook- 
ing  up  from  my  writing  to  take  a  look  at  her. 
310 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

It  seems  a  pitty  there  aint  any  one  but  jest 
me  to  see  sech  prettyness.  I  expeck  it  comes 
from  a  feeling  that  young  girl  beauty  and 
freshness  aint  so  very  differant  from  the  snow- 
flakes  —  it 's  so  transitive.  The  snow-flake  has 
a  minute  and  you  can  give  the  other  6  years, 
but  one  way  you  look  at  it  6  years  seems  a 
minute  in  a  long  life. 

I  Ve  heard  it  said  that  a  woman  can  become 
an  angel  but  she  can't  ever  be  a  girl  again. 

The  same  Date.    Evening. 

After  I  'd  stopped  writing  and  Lois  and  I 
had  set  silent  in  the  twilight  for  a  little  spell, 
she  says  very  slow,  and  almost  as  if  she  was 
atalking  to  her-self. 

"  I  wonder  what  she  was  like  —  the  girl 
that  Professor  Engarde  loved.  What  could 
she  have  been  not  to  have  loved  him  in  re- 
turn? I  wish  he  had  told  me  something  about 
her." 

"  You  did  n't  give  him  no  encuragement  to," 
I  reminded  her.  "  I  did  n't  know,  Lois,  that 
3" 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

you  could  be  so  cold  and  distant  as  you  was 
to  him.  I  don't  know  as  you  was  exackly 
polite.  I  guess  he  felt  it." 

"O  Aunty,  do  you  think  that?  Do  you 
think  he  'd  care  whether  /  showed  any  interest 
or  not?  I  feel  so  insinigificant  before  him." 

"  You  did  n't  look  insinigifant.  You  looked 
like  a  young  queen  —  so  tall  and  beautiful  and 
proud!" 

"  With  my  copper  crown,"  she  laughed.  She 
never  can  see  any  good  looks  in  her  copper- 
colored  hair.  "  But  do  you  think  I  was  n't 
cordial  enough?  And  do  you  think  he  noticed 
it  —  and  cared?  " 

"  I  could  n't  see  his  face  but  I  jedged  by 
his  vocal  tones  that  he  was  atrying  to  get  jest 
one  relaxing  word  from  you  before  he  started 
to  go.  Taint  strange  he  thought  you  felt  awful 
hard  towards  him  on  account  of  him  reporting 
about  Dorr  and  getting  him  dispelled.  It  was 
hard  enough  for  him  to  do  sech  a  thing,  dear, 
without  you  letting  him  think  you  blamed 
him." 

312 


DOWN   HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  Blamed  him !  It  was  splendid  of  him. 
He  had  to  ack  conterry  to  every  prompting 
of  that  great  heart  of  his."  Then,  after  a 
pause,  "  I  wonder  if  she  would  n't  have  re- 
lented if  she  reely  knew  how  fine  he  was.  I 
wonder  if  she  reely  knew  him  at  all." 

Just  then  I  saw  the  tall  figger  of  a  man 
acoming  along  the  street,  that  paused  and 
looked  up  and  then  come  up  our  steps.  It 
was  agetting  duskier  but  I  could  see  even 
through  the  snow  who  it  was.  Lois  had 
jest  been  asaying  that  she  would  hate  to  see 
that  beautiful  covering  of  snow  on  the  street 
marred  up  by  a  foot-print,  but  I  guess  it 
would  make  a  differance  whose  prints  they 
was.  I  aint  heard  her  make  no  fuss  about  it 
since. 

He  said  he  'd  come  to  see  if  Lois  was  sick 
on  account  of  us  not  having  no  telephone  in 
the  house. 

I  left  them  in  the  parlor  while  I  went  to 
get  a  lamp,  but  did  n't  hurry  back  with  it  on 
account  of  it  not  being  quite  dark  enough  for 
313 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

one  yet  and  being  time  for  me  to  start  in  aget- 
ting  supper  ready. 

She  must  have  been  more  sosheble  with  him 
than  what  she  was  before  because  they  got  to 
referring  about  what  he  'd  said  about  his  past 
as  I  was  asetting  the  table  in  the  nex  room 
and  I  heard  quite  a  lot  of  what  was  said. 

'  Would  you  like  to  have  me  tell  you  about 
her?  "  I  heard  him  say. 

"  O  I  should  like  so  much  to  hear  about  her," 
says  Lois.  "  You  said  she  was  beautiful?  " 

"  Very  —  but  with  a  beauty  wholly  unlike 
yours.  She  was  small  and  vivid  and  glowing, 
full  of  caprice,  yet  full  of  unspeakable  charm. 
It  was  many  years  ago  that  I  knew  her,  yet 
in  all  the  years  since,  I  have  never  met  a 
woman  who  possessed  the  magnetical  quality 
that  was  hers.  To  be  sure  I  took  a  boy's  view 
of  it  then  and  saw  all  with  a  boy's  adoring 
eyes  but  as  I  look  back  I  can  see  that  her  in- 
fluence must  have  been  the  same  with  all.  She 
was  very  young  —  scarcely  more  than  a  child 
—  yet  even  then  she  could  not  fail  to  recker- 

3H 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

nize  her  power.  She  had  the  whole  of  her 
small  social  cercle  at  her  feet.  Had  she  lived 
she  would  have  been  a  great  power  —  in  some 
way." 

"  She  died?  "  Lois  voice  was  very  low  and 
pitying. 

"  Yes,  soon  afterward." 

Then  his  voice  got  lower  and  I  did  n't  hear 
much  more  until  he  said, 

"  I  was  a  teacher  in  the  small  Maine  town 
that  was  her  home.  She  —  " 

At  this  Lois  riz  up  and  went  over  and  stood 
near  him,  "  May  I  ask  how  long  it  was  ago?  " 

"  Nearly  nineteen  years  "  with  the  exactment 
of  a  person  that 's  got  reason  to  mark  off  every 
year  distinck. 

"  Was  she  Annis  Spinney?  " 

"  Annis  Spinney?  "  There  was  amazement 
in  his  voice.  "  What  do  you  know  of  her?  " 

Then  Lois  says,  "  I  am  Annis  Spinney's 
daughter." 


315 


PROVIDENCE,  March  25. 

WELL,  we  've  been  in  kind  of  a  daze  all  day. 
We  can't  believe  it  's  real  —  I  mean  about  Pro- 
fessor Engarde  being  the  school-master  down 
at  Woppidentneck  that  was  in  love  with  Annis 
all  them  years  ago.  I  guess  it  was  the  first 
time  I  'd  seen  Ed  so  surprised  he  did  n't  have 
a  word  to  say.  As  for  Granny  she  's  kind  of 
slow  about  taking  things  in  and  she  aint  reely 
sensed  it  yet.  Sis  says  it  aint  got  only  skin- 
deep  yet.  Mame  is  the  only  one  that  it  's  set 
atalking  and  she  is  atalking.  She  's  aviewing 
it  from  every  aspeck  and  derection  and  setting 
forth  her  views  and  ruminating  out  loud  about 
what  might  have  been.  But  when  it  come  to 
her  that  the  might-have-been  theary  would  have 
excludified  Lois,  Lois  that  we  all  set  sech  store 
by  and  Mame  herself  can't  do  too  much  for, 
and  her  setting  sech  a  good  example  for  Sis 
(though  little  Sis  is  so  set  in  her  ways  she 
316 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

wont  ever  pattern  after  anyone  —  she  's  too 
much  like  Mother)  she  jest  says,  "  Well,  I 
don't  know  but  it 's  aturning  out  tip-top." 
There 's  times  when  we  're  foarced  to  give 
divine  Providence  our  approval. 

Lois  and  I  had  another  little  talk  to-night 
in  the  twilight.  We  aint  hardly  swapped  a 
word  about  it  all  day,  but  I  knew  by  her  face 
how  quietly  happy  she  's  been.  We  was  to 
gether  same  as  last  night  in  the  setting-room 
and  she  came  over  and  set  down  on  a  little 
foot-stool  and  laid  her  head  down  in  my  lap. 

"  Aint  it  beautiful,  Aunt  Jennie !  "  she  says. 
"  Aint  it  beautiful  about  him  being  so  true  to 
his  first  love  when  she  never  cared  for  him 
at  all.  You  know  some  say  that  men  soon 
forget,  but  he  never  has  and  he  never  will." 

"  Now,"  I  says,  astroking  her  pretty  hair, 
"  don't  you  be  so  sure  about  that,  dear.  I 
got  an  idea  that  he  's  afalling  in  love  with 
somebody  else  now." 

She  raised  her  head,  a  hurt  look  in  her  face. 
"  O  no,  no  1  "  she  says,  "  not  after  all  these 
31? 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

years.  Who  is  the  woman?  Has  Uncle  Ed 
heard  something?  O  I  know  it  is  n't  true!  I 
know  he  '11  never  forget  my  pretty  little 
Mother!  I  shouldn't  honor  him  so  if  he  did 
that!" 

"  And  so,  Lois,"  I  says,  "  you  want  him  to 
live  single  to  the  end  of  his  days  without  wife 
or  home  or  children?  " 

She  looked  awful  serious  at  this  and  then 
she  says,  "  I  did  n't  say  that.  It 's  only  that 
I  think  it 's  the  only  thing  he,  being  he,  can 
do,  and  I  honor  him  for  it.  Maybe  —  O  Aunt 
Jennie !  I  just  can't  be  so  unselfish  as  you.  I 
can't  bear  to  think  of  him  being  happy  with 
another  woman  and  forgetting  Mother." 

Then,  "  Auntie,  do  you  think  he  '11  come 
again?  Or  do  you  think  it  will  be  too  pain- 
ful for  him  to  meet  Granny  and  Uncle  Ed?  " 

"  Did  n't  he  say  nothing  about  coming 
again?  " 

"  No,  we  was  both  so  took  by  surprise  that 
neither  one  of  us  hardly  spoke  after  that. 
When  I  told  him  who  I  was  he  riz  to  his 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

feet,  a  great  wonder  in  his  face,  and  looked 
down  at  me  with  oh!  sech  an  expression  in 
his  eyes !  I  can't  ever  forget  it.  I  know  he 
was  searching  my  face  for  a  look  like  Mother. 
Then" — (she'd  hid  her  face  again  in  my 
lap)  "then  —  he  drawed  me  up  close  to  him 
and  bent  over  me  and  —  and  kissed  my  hair. 
4  Annis's  little  girl,'  he  says.  '  Annis's  little 
girl!  '  Then  he  took  up  his  hat  and  was 
gone." 

I  thought  of  Ed's  first  kiss  and  all  it  meant 
to  me,  and  I  put  my  arms  close  around  her 
while  her  face  stayed  hidden  on  my  gnees. 


319 


PROVIDENCE,  April  n. 
MIDDLING  fair. 

There  was  a  party  up  to  Pembroke  last 
evening  and  the  Professor  walked  home  with 
Lois  after  it. 

She  asked  me  to  come  into  her  room  after 
she  'd  gone  upstairs  and  she  said  it  was  be- 
cause she  wanted  to  tell  me  what  a  nice  talk 
they  'd  had  acoming  home.  Something  had  led 
up  to  it  and  she  told  him  how  folks  should 
honor  anybody  like  him  that  remained  true  till 
death  to  his  first  love. 

"  And  Aunt  Jennie,"  she  says,  "  it  shows 
how  moddest  he  is  about  having  sech  appre- 
ciation because  he  sobered  right  down  and 
changed  the  subjeck.  And  it 's  so  every  time 
I  say  anything  about  it,  especielly  when  I  add 
that  that  faithfulness  is  what  makes  him  a  very 
prince  among  men  to  me." 
320 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  I  guess,"  I  says,  "  I  would  n't  express  my- 
self quite  so  strong  as  that.  I  don't  know  as 
it 's  what  they  call  good  taste,  dear." 

"  O  I  did  n't  think  of  that.  And  I  did  n't 
blurk  it  out.  It  jest  came  up  nachelly  in  the 
conversation  when  he  was  talking  about  Irving, 
that  was  so  faithful  to  his  early  love,  you  know. 
He  was  talking  so  elloquant  about  Irving's  style 
but  when  I  made  them  remarks  he  did  n't  say 
nothing  more  about  him." 

"  Was  it  Irving  you  was  atalking  about  so 
long  on  the  door  step?  " 

"  Yes  —  and  Metterlink  and  Shopenhower." 

"  Well,  seems  to  me  I  'd  dwell  the  most  on 
them  last  2  critters  next  time." 


321 


PROVIDENCE,  April  19. 
PLEASANT  as  can  be. 

Got  my  washing  out  at  eight  o'clock  this 
morning  and  they  looked  white  as  lillys. 

Lois  has  jest  got  a  letter  from  Dorr  Edgerly. 
In  it  he  says  he  '11  enter  another  colledge  in 
the  fall  and  go  through  straight  as  a  die  if 
she  will  only  give  him  a  word  of  encurrage- 
ment  about  caring  for  him  and  about  his  whole 
life  being  blarsted  and  no  good  to  a  living  soul 
same  as  young  tree  is  blarsted  in  a  storm  if 
she  says  she  wont. 

Hard  as  it  will  be  for  Lois  she  will  have 
to  send  back  that  sad,  that  bitter  word  — 
wont.  She  feels  that  any  other  word  than  that 
would  be  dangling  out  false  hopes.  Any  other 
word  than  that  would  be  conterry  to  the  open- 
ness and  the  frankness  of  her  disposition  and 
her  constitution. 

322 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

In  the  eyes  of  the  world  she  is  renouncing 
an  excellent  mach  but  the  eyes  of  the  world 
needs  stronger  spectacles  than  it  usually  wears 
to  see  behind  and  into  things  like  this.  All 
the  same  I  am  greaved  about  Dorr. 


323 


PROVIDENCE,  April  21. 

CLOUDY,  but  as  if  the  sun  might  break  through 
any  time. 

In  yesterday  morning's  paper  it  told  how 
Professor  Engarde  had  been  called  to  set  in 
a  chair  of  biology  in  a  University  in  Germany 
and  he  had  excepted  and  what  a  great  honor 
it  was  and  how  much  regret  was  being  exer- 
cised about  it  at  Brown  and  how  he  already 
had  an  internashenal  reputation  that  reached 
from  pole  to  pole. 

Lois  saw  it  when  she  was  asetting  at  the 
breakfast  table.  I  did  n't  know  then  what  she 
was  areading,  but  I  saw  her  face  grow  white 
and  lay  the  paper  down  and  pressantly  go  up 
to  her  room. 

It  ain't  her  way  to  show  her  fealings  at  the 
time  so  I  did  n't  say  nothing.  I  know  she  '11 
come  to  me  about  it  before  very  long.  Poor 
child!  I  know  she  carried  a  heart  ache  to  col- 
ledge  with  her  and  she  forgot  her  Greak 
grammer. 

324 


April  23. 

I  SAID  once  I  wisht  there  was  more  than  me 
to  see  Lois's  face  when  it  was  the  prettyest 
but  I  guess  it  aint  ever  looked  it's  very  pretty- 
est till  last  night. 

The  Professor  called  in  the  evening  and 
stayed  a  long  time.  I  helped  Lois  entertain 
him  as  she  wanted  me  partickler  to  do  but 
there  was  sech  a  sight  of  mending  to  be 
done  and  it  was  n't  a  suitable  kind  to  be  took 
into  the  presence  of  sech  a  high-toned  gentle- 
man, so  I  went  out  into  the  dining-room  and 
got  afowl  of  it  soon  as  I  could. 

Him  and  her  talked  so  low  I  could  n't  hear 
nothing  that  was  said  and  furthermore  than 
that  they  wan't  asetting  where  I  could  see  them 
in  the  corner  without  streching  my  neck. 

I  did  n't  strech  it. 

He  stayed  pretty  late  and  when  he  'd  gone 
Lois  came  out  to  me,  her  face  ashining. 
325 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

"  O,  Aunt  Jennie !  "  she  says,  acuddling  down 
at  my  feet,  "  Aunt  Jennie!  " 

"  Yes,  dear,"  I  says,  "  that 's  me.  I  'm  right 
here." 

"  It 's  jest  wonderful,"  she  says,  her  eyes 
looking  down  at  the  work  in  my  hand. 

"  Yes,"  I  says,  "  it  is.  Your  uncle  Ed  aint 
had  these  stockings  2  weeks  and  they  don't 
seem  to  be  anything  but  a  rim  round  a  hole. 
Lois,  you  'd  ought  to  help  me  with  these 
stockings." 

'  Yes  (dreamily)  I  suppose  so.  How  beau- 
tiful it  will  be." 

"  I  would  n't  say  that"  I  says. 

"Aunt  Jennie"  (in  a  reproachative  tone) 
"why  didn't  you  tell  me?  He  says  he'd 
already  spoke  to  you  and  Uncle  Ed.  You  see 
I  wan't  in  the  least  prepared  for  it,"  alooking 
up  kind  of  shy  but  laughing  happily. 

I  did  n't  say  nothing  to  defenduate  myself 
and  she  went  on. 

'  The  way  he  began  was  to  ask  me  if  I  'd 
heard  he  was  agoing  to  Germany,  and  when 
326 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

I  said  '  yes,'  he  says,  '  And  I  hope  I  aint  agoing 
alone.     I  expeck  to  take  my  wife  with  me.' 

"'Your  wife?'" 

I  can't  tell  you  the  terrible  way  my  heart 
sank  and  how  everything  seemed  to  fade 
away. 

'  Yes,'  he  says.  '  A  memmery  can  be  a 
very  beautiful  thing,  Lois,  and  can  be  an  in- 
sentive  in  a  man's  life  to  everything  high  and 
good.  But  it 's  a  lonely  thing  to  take  with  you 
into  a  forren  land.  It 's  then  that  a  man  needs 
the  clasp  of  a  warm  living  hand,  the  grace 
of  a  happy  young  laugh,  and  to  seek  insperra- 
tion  in  young  and  ardent  eyes.  O,  I  hope  I 
can  take  all  these  things  away  with  me.' 

"  '  Then  you  are  not  sure?  ' 

"  '  Not  quite.     I  have  n't  asked  her  yet.' 

"  *  To  go  with  you?  ' 

"  '  To  be  my  wife.' 

"  '  As  if  she  would  refuse!  I  burst  out  kind 
of  bitter.  '  Who  would  the  woman  be  who 
would  refuse  to  go  with  you !  " 

"  '  I  hope  it  would  not  be  Lois  Treverton,' 
327 


DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

he  says,  taking  aholt  of  my  hand.  '  Lois,  I 
am  asking  you  now.  Will  you  go  to  Germany 
with  me?  ' 

"  And  I  spoke  my  answer  straight  to  his 
heart  for  my  face  was  pressed  so  close  against 
it  that  his  ears  could  n't  catch  it  at  all." 


328 


PROVIDENCE,  May  15. 

(Dictuated  by  me  to  Sis  —  as  Ed  says,  my 
amanuenSis) 

WHAT  is  my  baby  agoing  to  be 

Agoing  to  be,  agoing  to  be? 
Will  he  be  a  farmer  blithe  and  gay 
Planting  the  corn  and  making  the  hay, 
Buisy  and  happy  the  livelong  day? 

Is  that  what  my  baby  will  be? 

What  is  my  baby  agoing  to  be 

Agoing  to  be,  agoing  to  be? 
O  will  he  be  a  baker  man 
Delving  with  rolling-pin,  platter,  and  pan 
To  make  sweet  cakes  for  Dickey  and  Nan? 

Is  that  what  my  baby  will  be? 

O  what  is  my  baby  agoing  to  be, 

Agoing  to  be,  agoing  to  be? 
Will  he  be  a  sailer  strong  and  brave 
Who  when  skys  are  dark  and  tempests  rave 
Steers  his  ship  safe  o'er  the  raging  wave? 

Is  that  what  my  baby  will  be? 
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0  what  is  my  baby  agoing  to  be, 
Agoing  to  be,  agoing  to  be? 

Will  he  be  a  doctor  full  of  loar 
And  carry  health  from  door  to  door 
So  the  sick  shall  never  suffer  more? 
Is  that  what  my  baby  will  be? 

What  is  my  baby  agoing  to  be 

Agoing  to  be,  agoing  to  be? 
Will  he  be  a  parson  to  preach  and  pray 
Give  out  the  hym  on  the  Sabbath  day? 
And  teach  us  to  walk  in  the  blessed  way? 

Is  that  what  my  baby  will  be? 

1  know  what  my  baby  's  agoing  to  be 
Agoing  to  be,  agoing  to  be. 

Whatever  his  hands  will  find  to  do 

He  '11  be  his  mother's  sweetheart  true 

To   cheer   her   and  love   her    her   whole   life 

through, 
And  that 's  what  my  baby  will  be. 

This  is  the  song  Lois  is  singing  down  stairs 
and  I  am  alaying  up  here  in  my  bedroom  and 
listening  to  it.     It 's  too  far  away  for  me  to 
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ketch  many  of  the  words  and  yet  I  know  what 
they  are  —  every  single  one.  And  the  reason 
I  know  them  so  well  —  it  don't  seem  sense  but 
it 's  true  —  the  reason  I  know  every  single 
word  of  that  poetry  is  because  I  made  it  up 
myself,  all  myself.  No,  I  don't  know  as  I 
can  rightly  say  that,  because  the  fack  is  it  jest 
come  to  me  when  I  was  alaying  here  with  Baby. 
And  Ed  says  (pretending  to  be  jellos  of  Baby) 
that  my  insperration  has  come  at  last. 

These  are  sech  blissfull  days  that  everything 
seems  like  poetry.  The  sparrows  twitter  it, 
the  dogs  bark  it,  even  the  carts  in  the  street 
rumble  it.  And  as  for  the  street  peanner  or 
Lois's  singing  I  almost  can't  stand  their  sweet- 
ness and  soon  as  they  start  up  the  tears  roll 
down  my  cheeks  jest  because  I  'm  so  happy. 

But  I  was  jest  agoing  to  say  she  aint  set  the 
notes  down  in  a  reguler  way  but  she  makes 
up  the  tune  as  she  sings  along  and  it 's  prettyer 
far  than  a  written-down  song. 

I  know  where  she  gets  her  insperration. 

Ed  says  she  sung  it  for  the  Professer  when 
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he  was  here  last  evening  and  it 's  proof  enough 
it  's  fine  poetry  when  a  learned  man  like  him 
wanted  to  hear  it  again  and  again.  He  says 
the  Professer  watched  her  while  she  was  asing- 
ing  as  if  he  could  n't  take  his  eyes  offen  her 
for  fear  of  loosing  one  word.  And  when  she  'd 
stoped  singing  it  the  second  time  at  his  request 
he  went  over  to  the  peanner  and  says,  "  O 
Lois!  Jest  the  last  verse  again?  I  love  that 
last  verse."  And  Lois  laughed  but  she  sung 
the  last  verse  again.  And  it  made  Ed  so 
proud  of  me! 

The  Professer  sent  up  his  regards  and  con- 
gratulated me,  as  he  said,  on  both  of  my  little 
poems,  (he  means  the  baby  for  one)  and  he  's 
acoming  jest  as  soon  as  he  will  be  let  to  call 
on  Edward  Joseph  Junior. 

I  know  he  '11  says  he  's  his  father  right  over 
again  all  but  his  nose.  Granny  says  so  and 
wont  even  leave  out  the  nose  and  furthermore 
than  that  she  says  he  's  got  lots  of  little  ways 
his  father  had  at  his  age  —  2  weeks  to-morrer. 

Ed 's  as  proud  as  any  king  of  that  child 
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and  hangs  over  him  awatching  him  all  his 
spare  time.  But  than  I  don't  know  as  he  is 
much  worse  than  the  rest  of  the  folks  in  the 
house.  Jim  set  a  long  time  alooking  at  him 
very  thoughtful  yesterday  and  then  he  says, 

"  The  little  feller  's  got  a  look  like  Jamesy 
to  me."  Then  he  got  up  and  looked  out  of 
the  winder  quite  a  spell  and  then  went  out, 
sideways  so  I  could  n't  see  his  face.  First  time 
I  'd  ever  heard  him  mention  Jamesy  since  we 
lost  him.  What  a  comfort  it  '11  be  if  the 
baby  's  jest  a  little  like  our  little  boy  that 's 
gone. 

Lois  has  jest  brought  me  up  some  gruel. 
She  made  it  herself.  When  Sis  see  it  she  says, 
"  Why  you  Ve  put  nuts  in  it,  have  n't  you?  " 

But  it  was  only  that  it  was  lumpy.  But  I 
ate  between  the  lumps  and  it  tasted  reel 

good. 

Later. 

O  the  beautiful  prassants  that 's  been  sent 
to  the  baby.     I  can't  name  them  now  but  I 
have  them  kep  in  sight  so  I  can  look  at  them 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

all  the  time.  The  most  curious  ones  is  from 
Mrs.  Loretty  Maria  and  Cappen  Joe  Sillike 
consisting  as  they  do  of  a  monkey  and  a  peach 
both  calved  out  of  ebbony  wood.  They  got 
one  of  them  queer  looking  forreners  to  do  it 
apurpose  for  the  baby  when  they  was  in 
Mexico.  They  say  it  looks  strange  to  see 
everybody  round  you  a  forrener. 

Natalie  sent  the  crissening-dress,  a  tendar 
little  heap  of  lace  like  frost  work  and  that 's 
alaying  close  beside  me  so  I  can  reach  out  and 
pat  it  or  lay  my  cheek  against  it.  It 's  fit  for 
a  little  prince  but  Natalie  said  in  her  letter 
that  our  boy  is  a  little  prince. 

The  great  bunch  of  white  roses  is  from 
Willie  Jameson,  the  minnister  that  marryed  us 
and  Jim's  childhood  friend.  On  one  side  of 
the  card  was  wrote:  "For  Her  little  Grand- 
son." He  meant  Mother.  Willie  Jameson, 
now  the  great  Doctor  Jameson  of  New  York, 
is  the  one  Mother  was  so  good  to  when  he 
was  little  and  poor  and  freindless.  He  wor- 
ships her  memmery. 

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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

Mandy  has  given  him  a  nice  large  jack- 
gnife.  She  says  time  flys  and  he  '11  soon  grow 
to  it  and  furthermore  than  that,  there  won't 
be  no  duplikets.  Mame  says  she  hopes  that 
aint  so. 

This  morning  I  took  notice  how  white  my 
hands  had  growed  since  I  'd  stopped  work  and 
how  nice  the  one  looked  with  the  pretty  ring 
on  it  that  Natalie  give  me.  Ed  noticed  it,  too, 
when  he  come  in  to  bid  me  good-by  before 
going  to  the  offiss.  My  eyes  was  closed  and 
he  thoght  that  I  was  asleep  like  Baby.  So 
he  jest  stooped  down  and  kissed  the  hand  very 
gentle  that  was  alaying  on  the  crissening  robe. 
But  when  I  opened  my  eyes  and  smiled  up  at 
him  he  did  n't  smile  back,  "  Jennie,"  he  says, 
aholding  the  hand  in  his  and  looking  thought- 
fully down  at  it,  "I  wisht  I  was  a  rich  man.  I 
wisht  my  wife's  hands  could  be  kep  like  this 
always  —  white  and  pretty." 

"  No,  no!  "  I  says,  "  never!  As  long  as  my 
heart  beats  for  you  and  Baby  my  hands  must 
work  for  you,  too.  There  must  always  be 
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DOWN  HOME  WITH  JENNIE  ALLEN 

a  ballence  between  them  —  between  love  and 
laber,  I  mean.  It 's  the  way  I  'm  made.  It 's 
differant  with  Lois  and  Natalie." 

'  Yes,"  he  answers  even  while  he  looked 
down  with  regret  at  the  unusual  whiteness, 
'  Yes,  I  guess  you  're  right,  dear,  same  as  you 
always  are.  And  Lois  and  Natalie  with  their 
white  and  idle  fingers  can  never  know  love  like 
yours." 

Then  his  glance  fell  on  Sis's  progressive 
maps  that  was  alaying  on  the  table  by  my 
bedside  and  that  she  'd  broght  up  to  show  me 
where  she  'd  painted  Rhode  Island  in  the  very 
day  Baby  was  born.  Ed  was  tickled  enough 
when  he  saw  the  new  bit  of  pink  color  for  he 
knew  in  a  minnet  what  it  meant. 

"  Yes,  there  he  is !  "  he  says  laughing  fondly 
as  he  looked  down  on  the  pretty  heart  map. 
"  How  well  Sis  knew  there  's  been  all  along 
a  place  awaiting  for  little  Rhody!  " 


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